Chapter 3 A Beast

Judging from the dubious looks on their faces, the two boys didn't believe her.

Being seen through by children, Sharon felt embarrassed. She cleared her throat and slapped the butts of the two boys playfully. "Go to bed, you two. You won't grow tall if you sleep late all the time."

Nolan immediately jumped away and covered his butt, his cheeks turning bright red. "Mom, you can't do that! I'm a big boy now!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mommy couldn't help it," Sharon replied, feigning an apologetic look.

Pouting aggrievedly, the little guy kept two palms on his butt to shield himself as he ran away.

Sharon couldn't help but laugh as she watched him go.

When the two boys had gone to bed, Sharon returned to the living room.

Rena, who was sitting on the sofa, crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Sharon knowingly.

Feeling guilty, Sharon averted her gaze.

Rena instantly understood what had happened. "The 'mosquito' that bit you was actually Tristan, am I right?"

Sharon looked up, stunned.

"Why are you so surprised?" Rena snorted. "If it were any other man, you wouldn't have come home so quickly."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If it wasn't Tristan, you would've beaten him to death and then called the police. You wouldn't be able to come back until at least midnight. You'd only tolerate it if it was Tristan. So, tell me-what happened?"

Sharon was rendered speechless.

Rena was her good friend since childhood. They had been in the same class from primary school to college. Besides Sharon's sister, Rena was the only one who knew about Nolan's and Louis' existences.

She had even lived with and helped take care of the two kids over the past few years.

Because they had grown up together, Rena knew Sharon like the back of her hand.

Unable to lie to Rena's face, Sharon had to bite the bullet and tell the truth. She glossed over the details and recounted the story briefly. As soon as she finished, Rena excitedly gasped, "Oh, my God."

Confused, Sharon looked at her, only to see that Rena's eyes were as shiny as stars in the night sky.

"Tristan literally just woke up, yet he was able to last two whole hours in bed. How much longer will he last once he fully recovers? Sharon, your husband must be great in bed!"

Sharon was at first rendered speechless. Then her expression darkened. That wasn't the point!

Pouting, Sharon emphasized, "Have you forgotten that he's my ex-husband? Ex-husband! We're divorced!"

"Oh, right."

After a pause, Rena sighed and said, "Well, what's happened, happened. Don't be depressed." She put her arm around her friend's shoulder and comforted her gently, saying, "You said yourself that the lounge was so dimly lit, and Tristan was drunk. I doubt he'd remember your face. Anyway, you two were married for four whole years. One night with him isn't that bad. Besides, Tristan is a handsome man with a great bod. You didn't lose anything, right?"

Since things had come to this, Sharon had no other choice but to accept it. Rena was right; what happened, happened.

She rubbed her face and sighed, "Yes, I suppose you're right."

Meanwhile, in the kids' room, the two boys both stood in front of the computer screen, wearing earphones. They had bugged the living room and were listening to the conversation between Sharon and Rena.

Nolan took off his earphones first, his expression cold.

Louis rolled up his sleeves in anger and hissed in a low voice, "It's our bad Dad who hurt Mom!"

Tristan was their father, and this was no secret to the two boys.

Although Sharon had never mentioned Tristan to them, they were smart enough to figure it out.

Other mothers would stay with their children, but their mother wasn't even able to live with them until recently. When they asked Rena about their parents, she'd come up with a silly story to fool them. So, one dark night, the two kids secretly followed Sharon to the villa of Fuller family and figured out the truth.

It turned out that they had a father. But their father was asleep.

The two kids easily found pictures of Tristan online and memorized his face.

They had always thought that their family would be reunited when Tristan woke up, but unexpectedly, the opposite happened. Their father abandoned their mother as soon as he woke up.

"I can't believe this!" Louis crossed his pudgy arms over his chest and snorted angrily. "He's a terrible person! He abandoned Mommy and now, he hurt her! I have to teach him a lesson!"

Nolan, on the other hand, was very calm.

He looked at the indignant Louis and said loftily, "You're so small. You are no match for him."

Louis looked down at his little, chubby fists and sighed. "Then what should we do? When will I grow up?"

Nolan leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, squinting like a baby fox. "I might have a way to teach him a lesson."

"Tell me!"

Nolan grinned. "Just wait and see."

Meanwhile, in the Fuller family's villa.

Shawn drove Tristan home. As soon as Tristan arrived at the door to the living room, a little girl in a pink nightdress holding an Ultraman doll looked up and glared at him aggressively.

Tristan stopped in his tracks.

Shawn was caught off guard and almost bumped into Tristan's back. "Hey, Tristan! What gives?"

Tristan didn't say anything.

Shawn looked at him in confusion. Following his gaze, he saw a cute girl in a fluffy pink nightdress. "Oh, my Gosh! What a cute baby! Tristan, since when did this adorable little girl move into your house? And why does she look so familiar? I feel like I've seen her before..."

"Of course she looks familiar."

"What?" Shawn looked at him in confusion.

Tristan rubbed his temples. "She's my daughter!"

Shawn's smile froze.

His eyes went as wide as saucers.

His jaw went slack.

He scrutinized the little girl standing at the entrance of the living room. Observing her familiar features, he couldn't help but see her as a miniature version of Tristan. However, the little girl's face still held baby fat, and the contours of her facial features were softer compared to Tristan's. This made it hard for Shawn to recognize her at first glance.

But...

The little girl had to be around three or four years old.

Tristan had been in a coma for four years. How could he have had a kid?!

Shawn couldn't seem to wrap his head around what he just heard. He stammered in a daze, "T-Tristan, the little girl is staring at you."

"Yes, I can see that."

"Ahhh, she's coming over!"

Tristan's eyes widened slightly at the sight.

The little girl was indeed running towards Tristan.

But her strides weren't very big, and her run was more like a baby waddle. The maid behind her exclaimed, "Oh, my! Please slow down, or else you might fall!"

However, the little girl turned a deaf ear to the maid's cautions.

She stopped in front of Tristan, arms akimbo. Glaring up at him, she demanded, "Why are you home so late?"

Tristan had found out that he had a baby when he had woken up a few days ago.

He still felt like everything was a dream.

One moment, he was a bachelor, and the next, he was a married man with a daughter. He had no idea how to raise a child, let alone how to get along with one. He looked down at Lise Fuller expressionlessly, lips tightly pursed.

Anyone else would've pissed themselves if they were stared at coldly by Tristan.

But Lise was different.

She was the apple of Melany's eye, and Melany was the lady of the Fuller household. Little Lise had nothing to be afraid of.

Lise crossed her chubby arms over her chest and complained aggressively. "Do you know what time it is?

"It's midnight."

"So, tell me, mister. Why did you come back so late?"

If anyone else dared to talk to him like that in his house, Tristan would've thrown them out and fed them to the dogs.

But he couldn't seem to lose his temper when he looked into this cute little girl's doe-like eyes.

The little girl was determined to give her father a difficult time, but when she was about to say something more, she caught sight of the blood on Tristan's cheek.

The little girl was stunned, and her eyes turned watery in an instant. She rushed over and wrapped her arms around Tristan's leg anxiously. "Dad, your face is wounded... What if it becomes a big, ugly scar? I don't want you to be ugly!"

Hearing what Lise called him, Tristan was shocked.

This was the first time he had heard Lise call him "Dad" since he woke up.

He had maintained his composure even during a kidnapping in the past, even when his ribs were broken, and even in the middle of discussing billion-dollar business deals. However, in this moment, when he heard the little girl call him "Dad," a lump formed in his throat. For the first time in his life, the usually decisive Tristan felt at a loss.

He squatted down to be at eye level with the little girl and said nervously, "D-don't cry."

But as soon as he tried to comfort the little girl, she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and burst into tears, as though her father had died.

"I'm fine, really."

"But there's so much blood..."

"It doesn't hurt, I promise," Tristan said calmly. "I was bitten by a beast. I'll get my rabies vaccine tomorrow."

Overhearing this, Shawn was speechless.

A beast?