At the School Grounds...
"Alright, kids—just like what I always tell you..." I said, crouching down so I was eye-level with Paris and Egypt.
"No fighting, and no being noisy in class."
"No fighting, and no being noisy.." Paris repeated obediently.
"And..." I turned my head toward Egypt, raising a brow.
She grinned, already anticipating what was coming. "No being naughty, and don’t be a headache for Teacher Amie!"
I laughed softly. "Exactly. Sa rules as always, okay?"
Both girls nodded, and I leaned forward to kiss them gently on the forehead.
Paris sighed, but there was affection in it. "Yes, Mom."
I shifted my attention to Egypt. "You stay with your sister at all tis. No wandering off."
"I know, Mom," Egypt replied quickly. "No wandering. No running. No talking to strangers."
"And if soone you don’t know talks to you?" I pressed.
"I find a teacher," she recited proudly, then flashed a grin. "Or Miss Amie."
I nodded in approval, then turned back to Paris, who was watching closely as if she expected more instructions. I adjusted the straps of her bag, making sure they sat properly on her shoulders, before lowering myself to her level again.
"You stay close to your sister," I said softly. "And if anything feels wrong, anything at all, you tell a teacher imdiately. And don’t ever go with anyone, even if they are soone you know, like the principal and his friends. Don’t listen and go with them. Do you understand?"
I held her gaze, making sure she truly understood what I ant.
I wanted her and Egypt to stay away from Ro and his friends as much as possible. Ro had been getting annoying lately, and I was afraid he might suddenly approach the kids without my knowledge.
After a brief pause, Paris nodded once.
"I will."
"And you don’t leave the school grounds."
"I know."
"And—"
"Mom," Paris interrupted gently, touching my arm. "We’re not little kids anymore."
I smiled despite myself. "You’ll always be my kids."
I stood up, brushing imaginary dust from Egypt’s sleeves, smoothing Paris’s hair, then resting my hand briefly on Cairo’s shoulder. Only then did I step aside and let them walk toward the gate.
They walked together, side by side, and I watched until they reached the line forming near the entrance to show their IDs before entering.
That was when I heard my na.
"Sylvia!"
I turned.
Amie stood near the classroom doorway, a clipboard tucked under one arm, her other hand waving enthusiastically. Her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, a few strands already escaping, and her smile was as warm and familiar as ever.
I instinctively took Cairo’s hand and walked with him toward her.
"Morning," she said as I approached. "You look like you’ve been through a whirlwind today."
I snorted. "That’s one way to describe my morning."
She laughed, then crouched down as Egypt imdiately ran toward her after showing her ID at the gate. "There’s my favorite troublemaker."
"I’m not trouble," Egypt protested. "I’m just energetic."
"And dramatic," Amie teased with a grin.
Paris greeted her politely, earning an approving nod. "Always a pleasure, Paris."
Then Amie’s gaze shifted.
It landed on Cairo.
Her smile faltered for half a second. Her eyes lingered on his face for a long mont.
Cairo stiffened beside .
"So this must be Cairo," Amie said slowly, "the one you told about, Paris and Egypt’s—brother."
"Yes," I replied evenly. "Cairo, this is Miss Amie. She’s Paris and Egypt’s teacher... and also their godmother."
"Good morning, Miss Amie," Cairo said politely. "I’m glad to et you."
Amie smiled briefly. "Good morning, handso boy. Since you’re Paris and Egypt’s brother, that makes you my godchild too."
Then she looked at .
The smile disappeared from her lips as her eyes flicked back to Cairo—then to —then back again, disbelief slowly settling in.
"He looks..." she started, then stopped.
My chest tightened.
"He looks like soone I see almost every day," she continued carefully. "At the principal’s office."
I froze.
Our eyes t.
Her mouth opened again—but then she noticed the look on my face. She glanced down at Cairo, who was now looking up at her curiously, scratching the back of his head.
"Soone looks like ?" Cairo asked innocently. "Do I know that person?"
Amie paused, staring at as if searching for sothing in my expression.
Then she laughed awkwardly, waving a hand. "Sorry, that was strange of . I just thought you looked familiar at first—but I must be mistaken. Handso kid like you maybe just reminds of people sotis, you know? H-haha."
I forced a smile. "They do."
Cairo shifted closer to , his fingers brushing against my hand. I squeezed them gently.
"Well," Amie said brightly to Egypt and Paris before guiding them inside the classroom, "class will be starting in a few minutes. Let’s get you all inside."
Paris and Egypt looked back at and waved before following her without hesitation.
"I’ll pick you up after school.." I called softly.
Paris nodded before turning away.
Amie lingered beside as the children disappeared into the classroom.
"You okay?" she asked quietly.
I t her gaze. "Why wouldn’t I be?"
She studied for a mont, then sighed. "You always say that when sothing’s wrong."
"I still have to go to the restaurant where I work." I replied, avoiding the topic.
She nodded slowly. "We’ll talk later."
"A-about what?" I asked, my chest tightening for reasons I couldn’t explain.
She stepped closer and gently pulled aside, lowering her voice so no one else could hear. "I know you never told who their father is. But after seeing Cairo... I think I know now."
My heart skipped.
"W-what do you an?" I asked nervously.
She smirked. "Don’t deny it anymore, Syl. Just by looking at the triplets—especially Cairo—I know Mr. Bear is their father."
Mr. Bear? Did she an Ro? My breath hitched.
"You didn’t even tell the father of your kids was friends with the principal." she added teasingly.
Panic surged through .
"No," I stamred. "There are a lot of people who look alike in this world. It could just be a coincidence. They only look like him—that’s all."
She shook her head, smiling knowingly. "Sylvia, I wasn’t born yesterday. I already had a hunch the first ti I saw Mr. Bear. Seeing Cairo just confird it."
"B-but he’s not—"
"Alright, kids! Everyone inside!" Amie called loudly, cutting off before turning back toward the classroom. She glanced at over her shoulder, a wide grin dancing on her lips.
"See you later. Tell everything, okay?" she mouthed.
I just shook my head helplessly at Amie. Knowing her, she would bombard with questions later no matter what I said.
I turned away, lifting Cairo into my arms, my heart pounding harder with every step.
"Mommy, where are we going next?" Cairo asked.
I smiled weakly and adjusted his cap. "We’re going to the restaurant where Mommy works. I need to resign."
"Resign?"
"Yes. Because I only have one job now—and that is taking care of you and your sisters." I kissed him on the cheek.
He giggled and wrapped his arms around my neck, holding on tightly.
************
At the Restaurant....
The restaurant was already busy when we arrived.
The sll of coffee and expensive dishes greeted the mont I stepped inside. Normally, this place felt comforting, familiar. But today, it felt suffocating.
"Sylvia, why aren’t you in uniform yet?" the manager snapped as she spotted . "Don’t tell you’re going to be absent again?"
Her gaze dropped to Cairo. "Is that your son? You brought him here?"
She frowned. "You know you can’t bring your child here while working."
Cairo tightened his hold on , frightened by her tone. I gently covered his ears.
"Maybe I’ve been too lenient with you," she continued. "Just because I let your absences slide before doesn’t an I’ll allow this—"
"I’m sorry, Manager," I interrupted, bowing slightly. "I’m not here to work. I’m here to resign."
The room fell silent. Even the other staff, who had been quietly gossiping, stopped to watch.
"What?" she asked in disbelief.
"I want to focus on my children full-ti," I said calmly. "So I’d like to speak to the owner."
She scoffed. "You don’t get to talk to the owner. I am the manager, so you should talk to , not directly to the owner!"
"He’s my brother..." I replied quietly.
"W-what?"
"Sylvester Lincolm owns this restaurant. I want to give him my resignation personally."
"W-what?" She didn’t recover from the shock, and I imdiately walked past her.
I shut the office door behind once I got inside.
’I’m resigning,’ I repeated in my head before walking deeper into the office area and opening the inner door that I thought was Sylvester’s.
But instead of Sylvester, I froze.
"Syl?"
Stephenson stood up slowly, shock written all over his face.
"Uncle Stephenson?" Cairo said softly.
Stephenson’s gaze dropped. "...Cairo?"
"Yes, Uncle Stephenson.." Cairo replied hesitantly, tugging slightly at my sleeve. He was clearly aware of the tension in the room but didn’t understand why.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady the whirlwind of emotions in my chest. My mind raced, recalling every interaction from this morning, from Ro to Amie’s knowing stare. And now, here we were. I had to face my brother, Stephenson.
"I... I ca here to resign," I said firmly, my voice breaking slightly despite my efforts to sound calm. "I want to fully take responsibility for my children. I can’t—won’t split my focus anymore."
Stephenson blinked at , his eyes narrowing slightly.
"I heard you’ve just started," he said finally, his voice low but edged with disbelief. "And now... you’re quitting?"
I swallowed hard, eting his gaze, unwilling to back down. "Yes, I’m quitting. I’ve thought about it long and hard. I want to be there for my children in ways I haven’t been able to before."
Stephenson’s expression darkened. I could see the muscles in his jaw tighten. "Sylvia... you’ve never done anything halfway. You’re serious about this?"
"Yes," I said, my voice firr now. "I’m done splitting myself. And if you’ll excuse , I’d like to hand my resignation to Sylvester directly, not to you."
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