Chapter 161

Angela POV

I stepped out of Christopher's luxury apartment building, Aria nestled securely in my arms. Despite her small size, she felt heavier than usual-or perhaps it was the weight of my conflicting emotions that made my steps slower.

Sean walked beside me, carrying Ethan with surprising gentleness.

"Thank you for helping me find the children," I said, breaking the tense silence. "But we can manage from here."

Sean raised an eyebrow. "This late? How do you plan to get home?"

"I'll call an Uber," I replied firmly. "You can put Ethan down. We'll be fine on our own."

With visible reluctance, Sean lowered Ethan to the ground. The boy immediately stepped closer to me, his small hand finding mine. Yet I couldn't miss how his eyes lingered on Sean's face, studying him with that intense, calculating gaze so unusual for a child his age.

"Mama, why did we leave Christopher uncle's house?" Aria mumbled sleepily against my shoulder.

"Because it's late, sweetheart," I answered softly. "Time to go home and get some sleep."

I turned to Sean with forced politeness. "Thank you again. Goodnight."

"Angela," Sean called after me as I began walking away. "Don't be stubborn. It's too late. Let me drive you home."

I pretended not to hear, guiding the children toward the street corner to hail a taxi. The sidewalk was mostly empty at this hour, with only a few late-night pedestrians hurrying past.

A figure emerged suddenly from the shadows between two buildings, blocking our path. My instincts flared with alarm as I registered his disheveled appearance-torn jacket, unshaven face, the unmistakable odor of alcohol.

"Hey, beautiful," the man slurred, swaying slightly. "Spare some cash? I haven't eaten in three days."

I tightened my grip on Aria and pulled Ethan closer to my side. Not wanting to appear callous in front of my children, I reached into my purse and extracted a hundred-dollar bill.

"Here," I offered, extending the money.

His bloodshot eyes caught sight of the other bills in my wallet, and his expression shifted from desperate to predatory. "That's not enough. Give me everything you've got."

My heart hammered against my ribs. "No, I can't. We need money to get home."

"I'm not asking twice," he growled, stepping closer.

I pushed both children behind me, my hands trembling as I prepared to surrender my wallet. Their safety was all that mattered.

"Stay away from her."

Sean's voice cut through the tension like a blade. In one fluid motion, he grabbed the man's wrist and shoved him backward with enough force to make him stumble.

The man regained his balance and lunged forward, but Sean was faster. His fist connected with the man's jaw in a sickening crack that sent him sprawling onto the pavement.

"Leave," Sean commanded, his voice dangerously calm. "Now."

The man scrambled to his feet and disappeared into the darkness, casting one final glare over his shoulder.

I quickly covered the children's eyes, not wanting them to witness such violence. But when I removed my hands, I was stunned to see excitement rather than fear on their faces.

Ethan's eyes were wide with undisguised admiration as he stared up at Sean. Aria clapped her tiny hands in delight.

"Mr. Night is like a knight from cartoons, rescuing the princess!" she exclaimed.

I felt a chill run through me. How could they find such violence exciting?

Sean approached us, straightening his jacket. "Now do you understand why I didn't want you leaving alone?"

"It was just an unfortunate incident," I replied, my voice still unsteady.

"In this city, with two children, you never know what might happen." His tone softened slightly. "Please, let me drive you home."

I glanced at the children's expectant faces and sighed in defeat. "Fine. Just this once."

The interior of Sean's luxury car enveloped us in silence. Aria had recovered her energy and was bouncing slightly in her seat, while Ethan remained unusually quiet, his eyes frequently finding Sean in the rearview mirror.

"Would you like some music?" Sean asked unexpectedly as he started the engine.

"Can we hear songs from Frozen?" Aria piped up before I could respond.

I was about to say it wasn't necessary when Sean's fingers were already tapping the car's touchscreen. The opening notes of "Let It Go" filled the space between us, and Aria immediately began singing along, knowing every word by heart.

To my absolute astonishment, Sean started humming along under his breath, occasionally murmuring a line or two.

He caught my stunned expression and shrugged nonchalantly. "What? It's a good song."

I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. In all our years together, Sean had always been the epitome of corporate coldness-calculated, controlled, unyielding. This playful side was entirely foreign to me.

Had he actually watched animated children's movies?

The thought of Sean Shaw, ruthless CEO of Shaw Group, sitting through Disney films was so incongruous I almost laughed.

The contrast with his earlier behavior-practically strong-arming Christopher to take the children-couldn't have been more stark.

As the song continued, I noticed Ethan softly joining in, despite his typically reserved nature. Sean's eyes met mine in the rearview mirror, and I quickly looked away, though I felt some of the tension drain from my shoulders.

"What do the children like for breakfast?" Sean asked quietly. "I could bring something over tomorrow morning."

My guard instantly went back up. "Who said you're coming over tomorrow?"

When we finally arrived at my building, Aria was still humming contentedly.

"Thank you for driving us home, Mr. Night," she said with genuine warmth. "You sing so well!"

Sean smiled at her through the mirror. "When I become your father, we can sing together every day."

I froze in my seat, shock and anger coursing through me at his audacity.

"Sweetheart," I said loudly, "Mommy can sing with you every day too. He wasn't singing well at all-he was completely off-key!"

Sean's expression darkened. "Which part was off-key, exactly?"

I ignored him and gathered the children to exit the car. As I moved past Sean, his hand suddenly caught my wrist, his breath warm against my ear.

"You think this will make me back off?" he whispered. "Don't dream, Angela."

An involuntary shiver ran down my spine at his proximity. He released me with a gentle push toward the building entrance. "Go on. Goodnight."

"Goodbye, Mr. Night!" the children called out cheerfully.

"See you tomorrow," Sean replied with a smile. "I'll pick you up for school."

I didn't respond, just hurried the children inside, feeling Sean's eyes on my back the entire time. He remained standing by his car, a dark silhouette in the night, until the building doors closed behind us.

Christopher and Sean. Two men seemingly competing to be father to my children. How could I keep them from disrupting the life I'd carefully built?

Inside our apartment, I immediately went to the window after turning on the lights. Carefully pulling back the curtain, I peered down at the street, releasing a sigh of relief only when I saw Sean's car finally driving away.

"Mama, what are you looking at?"

Aria's voice startled me. I hadn't heard her approach.

"Nothing, baby," I said quickly, letting the curtain fall back into place.

Her innocent eyes studied my face. "Are you sad because Mr. Night is leaving? Do you miss him already?"