The two kids stared at their father, utterly confused.
Juan giggled. âYouâre amazing, Daddy! Maya and Nina are allies now!â
âWhat?â
Evan stared at Juan, befuddled by his words.
âThey fought last night and wonât talk to each other, but theyâre willing to unite against you, their common enemy!â Juan explained.
ââ¦â
Common enemy?
Do they really hate me so much?
âTell them to get in the car,â Evan said emotionlessly.
Juan shrugged wordlessly.
Theyâll have no problem beating me up if they wanted to!
Evan glanced at Kyle, who gave him an exasperated look. âDaddy, Ninaâs not going to listen to meâ¦â
Why are they scared of two little girls?
âWhat a coward!â Evan chided.
âDaddy! Theyâve got Mommyâs genes and we got ours from you! If you canât win her in an argument, what makes you think we can?â Juan retorted, shrugging.
Heâs blaming my genes now?
Who says I canât win Nicole in an argument?
I donât care what goes on womenâs heads! Besides, she hasnât picked an argument with me for daysâ¦
Evan pinched Juanâs face. âIf you dare call me a coward, Iâll sew your mouth up!â
Juan hurriedly covered his mouth in mock fear.
Evan glared at him warily and walked off to catch up with Maya and Nina.
Maya continued to bawl her eyes out as Nina tried her best to calm her down. âStop crying in public! Itâs embarrassing!â
âHey! Stop right there!â a voice called from behind.
Nina ignored the voice and pulled Maya away.
Evan was speechless. Did Nicole not teach them any manners?
âStop right there! Weâre going to find Mommy,â Evan yelled.
Maya stopped walking the moment she heard the word âMommyâ, forcing Nina to screech to a halt.
âUncle Evanâ¦are you going to find Mommy?â
âThatâs right.â
âMommyâs not gone?â
He had not expected Maya to believe him.
âSheâs not gone. Get in the car,â Evan said.
Maya wiped her tears away and glanced at Nina. âUncle Evanâs taking us to Mommy.â
Nina glared at Evan. âIs Mommy gone or not? Stop lying to us and apologize!â
ââ¦â
Evan was shocked by her words.
I came just to pick you up after school, and this is how you treat me?
Evan had never been forced into apologizing his whole life.
He scooped Maya up and tossed a glance at Nina before turning around and walking off.
That only fueled Ninaâs anger even further.
Bad Daddy! Bad, bad Daddy!
Youâre not going to apologize for lying to us? How rude!
Just you wait!
A plan formed in her head.
Suddenly, Juan rushed up to her and grabbed her hand, trying to pull her into the car.
Thinking about how she could trick her naughty father, Nina did not resist and followed Juan into the car.
Nicole was still not home by the time they arrived at Rose Garden, and Maya was getting worried. âUncle Evan? Whereâs Mommy?â
âEat first. Mommy will come back later,â Evan lied.
Maya pondered over it for a moment before looking at Juan.
Knowing that Nicole was still busy, Juan nodded at her reassuringly. Maya nodded back.
Sylphiette was surprised to see the four kids standing with Evan at the doorstep.
âWhy did they come back with you, Evan?â she asked.