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Genius Kids‘ Scheme: Claiming Daddy’s Billionaire Empre 

Chapter 128 

Lucas’s stomach dropped the nment those words left his mouth. The way Mom whispered “What did you just say?‘ made his skin crawl. He could practically feel for horror radiating across the room 

“Haha,” he backpedaled, forcing a laugh that came out more like a nervous hiccup. Just kidding! But we should do something real to say thanks. 

Alex jumped in, smooth as butter. “Mom, we saw this place with hot prings the other day,” he said, casual as could be. Maybe we could invite Uncle Adam there? His legs could use sobie relaxation. That’s not weird, right?” 

Irene blinked, thrown by the sudden pivot from marriage proposals 

“Hot springs?” she echoed, glancing between her kids and Adam. 

spa trips? 

Her brain scrambled to process this. Invite Adam to soak in mineral water together? Would he even consider such a casual outing? Wouldn’t a gift basket be easier? 

The triplets pounced on her hesitation like tiny sharks smelling blood. 

“Mom, please?” Lucas clasped his hands together dramatically. “We really want to check it out too!” 

Lily bounced on her toes, pigtails flying. “The hot water would totally help Uncle Adam’s legs! For recovery and stuff!” 

Irene bit back a laugh. These little con artists weren’t worried abouttherapeutic benefits – they just wanted a fancy dip and were using Adam as their ticket. Still, from a medical perspective, warm water immersion would help with circulation and muscle 

⚫ tension… 

She shot her kids a look that said “I see right through you” but caved anyway. Turning to Adam, she asked, “What do you think?” 

Behind her back, three pairs of eyes locked onto Adam. The triplets faces morphed into such perfect portraits of desperate hope that Thomas had to look away to hide his grin. 

Something warm tugged at Adam’s chest. The CEO who made boardrooms fall silent was being expertly played by three five–year- olds, and he couldn’t even bring himself to mind. 

“I’ll take you up on that,” he said, lips twitching. “Sounds therapeutic 

The triplets traded lightning–quick victory glances before plastering on innocent smiles. 

“When should we go?” Alex asked, all business. 

“Tomorrow evening?” Adam suggested. 

Irene nodded. “Tomorrow works.” 

They hung around a bit longer before heading home, the kids racing ahead and huddling in a conspiratorial clump. 

“Got ‘em hooked!” Lucas whispered once they reached their front door. “Hot springs are super romantic!” 

“It’s like in those movies we saw at the hotel,” Lily agreed, eyes sparkling. “People always fall in love in hot springs!” 

Alex shook his head. “They can’t use the same pool. Uncle Adam needs the wheelchair access one.” 

Lily’s face fell for a split second before brightening again. “Then we make a new plan once we’re there!” 

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Chapter 128 

Their plotting cut short as Trefie caught up, eyeing them suspicious! 

Hours later, Joseph sat alone in the living room, glaring at his phone The Sterling logo on screen made his jaw clench. He’d been dodging this call all day, but John was nothing if not persistent. 

“What?” he barked, finally answering. 

“Father.” John’s voice came through, stiff as cardboard. “We need to talk about the company.” 

Joseph snorted. “Suddenly interested in my opinion? That’s new.” 

The truth was ugly. Earlier that year, John had dumped money into overseas shell company without proper research. What started as a bad call had snowballed into crisis, with John diverting over half the company’s cash to cover mounting losses. 

Nathan’s urgent office return wasn’t about some project – he’d been crambling to handle the cash flow emergency without tipping off the press. John had spent the morning begging banks for loans, but nobody wanted to touch them once they saw the books. 

“The situation is… difficult,” John admitted, his business mask slipping. We need fresh investment to stay afloat. 

“And I care because…?” Joseph kept his voice cold. “You’ve been running the company your way for years. 

“Haven Enterprise has a new commercial project,” John pushed on. we could get that partnership, it might save us.” 

“Haven?” Despite himself, Joseph’s interest perked up. “They’re industry giants. Why would they bother with us?” 

“That’s where Irene comes in,” John said, his voice hardening. “She has twenty percent of company shares and connections with 

Adam Haven.” 

Joseph’s grip tightened on the phone. “So that’s what this is about.” 

“She hasn’t contributed anything to the company,” John pressed, his tone morphing into a command. “It’s time she took responsibility. She needs to talk to Adam about a partnership.” 

The words hung in the air for a beat before Joseph exploded. 

“You want WHAT?” His voice climbed with each word. “You’re using her shares as an excuse to use her? After everything this family 

did?” 

“The company’s in trouble-” 

“And whose fault is that?” Joseph cut in, voice shaking. Where were you when she needed family? When she was alone with three 

babies? When she built her career from scratch?” 

“Father, be reasonable-” 

“Her DUTY?” Joseph nearly choked. “What about YOUR duty as her father? You chose that Claire girl over your own daughter for 

twenty years! You kicked Irene out when she was pregnant!” 

The front door clicked open just as Joseph’s voice peaked. 

You remember her now?” Joseph shouted, decades of frustration boiling over. “Where were you before? I’m telling you, absolutely not! You stay away from her!” 

Irene froze in the entryway, her heart clenching as she caught the tail end of his tirade. She moved quickly toward the living room, worried something serious had happened. Joseph rarely lost it like this. 

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Chapter 128 

When she appeared, Joseph’s eyes widened. He immediately ended the call, his face smoothing despite the color in his cheeks. 

“Back already? It’s nothing important,” he said, waving dismissively. Just some business calls. How did things go at Adam’s?” 

The subject change was about as subtle as a wrecking ball, but Irene didn’t push. If he wanted to shield her from whatever Sterling drama was brewing, fine by her. 

Another family mess, I bet, she thought coldly as she sat beside him. Whatever hole they’ve dug themselves Into has nothing to do with me. They made their choice five years ago when they threw me out. Funny how they suddenly remember I exist when they need something. 

She smiled thinly as she mentioned the hot springs plan. My life with the kids is finally finding stability. If they think they can drag me into their drama, they’ll find I’m not the same pushover I used to be. 

Joseph relaxed as Irene dropped the subject, his protective instinctsatisfied. Whatever crisis John had created, he wouldn’t let them use Irene as a pawn. She’d been through enough. 

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