The Billionaire Twins Need A New Mommy! - Chapter 423

Chapter 423: Twisted Denial
For the whole night, Mike’s mind spiraled around the words of his old colleague—the same man who had taken his money years ago to falsify something he never even changed, and then didn’t bother to tell him about it.

Had that man reached out earlier, Mike and Jasmine could’ve known the truth long ago. They could’ve done something in those early years. Instead, the man took their money and disappeared as if it meant nothing.

Now, seated in the driver’s seat, Mike didn’t even know where he had parked. He just sat there, motionless, staring through the windshield with vacant eyes. His thoughts drifted through memories of Lola—every word, every glance—and the growing dread of how he would ever tell Jasmine about what he’d just learned.

*****

[Flashback]

Mike hadn’t always been part of the Youngs’ lives, especially not at the start. But when he finally got the chance to visit their home, he made sure to buy every gift for girls he could find—dolls, dresses, and sparkly trinkets. Deep down, he knew his daughter would never see him as her real father.

Still, he wanted to be someone she could come to and someone who mattered.

So, when he finally met Melissa, he watched her unwrap the mountain of gifts he’d brought, one after another. Seated on the couch, the smile on his face was unmistakable. His eyes gleamed with affection as the little girl’s laughter filled the room.

“Wow! Uncle! Look at this!” Melissa squealed, holding up a doll with shining eyes. “Are these really for me?!”

He laughed. “Of course, princess!” he grinned. “Do you like them?”

“Mhm!” she nodded excitedly. “Can I open the others?”

“Sure. They’re all yours,” he said warmly. “Take your time. If there’s something you don’t like, I’ll get you something better.”

Melissa’s smile stretched from ear to ear, her joy uncontainable as she unboxed each gift like it were her birthday. Though she was already spoiled by both Jasmine and Lawrence, her excitement for this batch of presents was no less pure.

Watching her filled Mike’s chest with satisfaction and warmth. He hadn’t been there for most of her life, as he was serving time in prison while she grew up without him. Even after his release, he had to construct a persona to fit the narrative Jasmine had spun for Lawrence.

But as he admired the pampered young lady before him, something caught his eye. From the corner of the room, a small figure lingered. Mike turned his head instinctively and saw a girl around Melissa’s age.

Unlike Melissa, who was dressed like a little princess with neatly tied hair and shiny clips, this other girl was the opposite. Lola looked frail, her cheeks slightly hollow, with dark circles under her eyes. Her tied hair was messy, with loose strands sticking out in awkward directions.

To an outsider, she would’ve looked like a servant’s child—someone who didn’t belong in that home.

But Mike recognized her instantly.

Lola Young.

The corners of his mouth curled into a cruel smirk. He caught her staring at Melissa’s pile of gifts, then at him.

Jasmine really put that bitch’s daughter in her place, he sneered inwardly, before calling out to Melissa.

“Try on the dresses I bought you,” he urged with exaggerated cheer, glancing toward Lola. He wanted her to see. He wanted her to feel the distance between them. Between who she was and who Melissa was.

He did it to remind her that she had no place in that family, no right to stand under the same roof.

*****

[Present Time]

That wasn’t the only time Mike had intentionally hurt Lola. There was another memory that clawed at his conscience—the time he saw Melissa and Lola fighting over something trivial. Without hesitation, he’d stepped in and struck Lola across the face. The slap had been so hard it sent her tumbling backward, blood at the corner of her lips.

And instead of guilt, he had threatened her.

If she told anyone, she’d be in trouble.

That moment had given him confidence. Whenever Melissa cried or pouted, he took it out on Lola. When he couldn’t raise his voice at Melissa, he would shout inches away from Lola’s ear—loud enough that he once wished it would bleed.

There were too many incidents to remember. He couldn’t even count them anymore. But Lola probably could. Every bruise, every slap, every cutting word that branded itself into her heart… she would remember all of them.

He made sure of that, after all.

Mike clasped the steering wheel, his forehead pressing against his knuckles. His eyes squeezed shut as he exhaled a long, shuddering breath.

“I did all of that…” he whispered, his grip tightening until his knuckles turned white. “…to my own daughter.”

He had even nearly killed her just hours ago.

If not for luck—or perhaps for someone stepping in—Lola would have been hospitalized. Deep down, he knew it wasn’t luck that saved her. Someone had intervened.

“Damn it.” He leaned back against the seat, head tilted toward the ceiling, eyes still closed as his mind spun out of control.

His chest burned with anger toward Loren. That woman had destroyed their lives. Who would’ve thought she was capable of something so cruel?

Slowly, Mike reopened his eyes, forcing himself to push away every emotion that dared to take his heart. Sure, he felt regret for Lola and rage toward Loren so deep that no words could describe it.

But there was also Jasmine.

“She…” he muttered, recalling how shaken and desperate she’d been earlier. It was a good thing he’d managed to calm her down… or so he thought. Deep down, he knew Jasmine had only let him convince her. She wasn’t blind. She just refused to see the truth.

If he could remember every vile thing he’d done to Lola, what about Jasmine?

Unlike him, Jasmine had been there every day of Lola’s life until the girl finally moved out. Even then, Jasmine had found ways to torment her.

Resolve slowly hardened in him. His shoulders stiffened as he exhaled through his nose.

“Melissa…” he whispered, voice trembling. “…she’s our daughter. She’s her daughter.”

They had raised Melissa. They had loved her. And even now, despite everything, she was still theirs.

So, in his twisted mind, there was only one answer.

“Jasmine doesn’t need to know,” he told himself firmly. “Having Melissa as her daughter is enough.”

This never happened, he repeated in his head. Melissa is my daughter, and no one else’s.

For the next few minutes, Mike sat in silence, convincing himself of that lie. That this wasn’t his reality. That this was all some cruel joke of fate.

It was better this way… for as long as he could pretend ignorance.

Unfortunately for Mike, while he was determined to protect Jasmine from the truth, someone else was just as determined to make them face it. Someone who would not allow them to keep living in denial because people like Jasmine and Mike…

…deserved to rot while still alive.