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Genius Kids‘ Scheme: Claiming Daddy’s Billionaire Empire
Chapter 135
The mountaintop observatory set nearly deserted as evening settled, most guests already soaking in the resort’s main attraction Instead. A cool breeze ruffled Irene’s hair as she followed the triplets who were already racing toward the telescope area.
“Mom! Uncle Adam!” Alex shouted, grabbing the nearest telescope with the confidence of a tiny astronomer. “You’ve gotta see this! The stars are everywhere!”
Lucas took over the next telescope, spinning dials with surprising expertise. “It’s insane! Like, the whole universe right there!”
“So sparkly!” Lily added, hopping from foot to foot when she could immediately reach her chosen viewfinder.
Irene laughed at their enthusiasm as Thomas wheeled Adam toward them. The kids immediately made space, scrambling aside with uncharacteristic consideration.
–
When Irene leaned over to adjust Adam’s telescope angle, she didn’t realize how close this would bring them until their faces were suddenly inches apart. His cologne hit her first subtle and expensive – then the warmth of his breath against her cheek. For a split second, she caught something unexpected in his typically guarded eyes – a flash of surprise that mirrored her own.
Her stomach did a strange flip as time seemed to stretch. She straightened abruptly, nearly knocking over the telescope in her haste to restore proper distance between them.
Adam’s expression remained unreadable, but a muscle twitched almost imperceptibly in his jaw – the smallest tell from a man who prided himself on giving nothing away.
“These stars aren’t even that great,” Irene mumbled, tucking hair behind her ear and turning toward the railing where the resort .lights twinkled below.
“No way,” Lucas protested with a sideways glance at his siblings.
“They’re literally magic!” Lily insisted, tugging on Irene’s sleeve and pointing upward. “Look how they twinkle!”
“Right, well, if you like them so much, you keep looking,” Irene said, gently freeing herself from Lily’s grip and retreating to a
shadowy corner.
Adam watched her hasty retreat, his lips twitching slightly as he turned back to the night sky.
The triplets took turns pointing out constellations until the mountain chill set in. By the time they headed back toward the main building, anticipation for the hot springs had replaced their stargazing enthusiasm.
“Hot springs next!” Lucas announced, leading their small procession down the path. The three huddled occasionally, whispering with serious expressions before breaking apart whenever an adult glanced their way.
Their scheming crashed into reality at the reception desk when the attendant smiled apologetically.
“Our facilities are separated by gender,” she explained, handing them color–coded towels and slippers.
The triplets‘ faces crumpled simultaneously.
“You’re kidding,” Lucas gaped, blinking rapidly.
“That can’t be right!” Alex’s voice rose with dismay.
Lily’s mouth opened and closed like a goldfish. “But–but we checked everything!” Her tone suggested this betrayal ranked somewhere between heartbreak and cosmic injustice.
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Chapter 135
*Sorry guys, rules are rules, Trene said, her tone ending any potenti argument. “Lily’s with me, boys with Adam and Thomas.”
Their shoulders slumped in unison as they accepted their defeat. At Past the resort offered private pools instead of the communa! baths,
“Plan down the drain,” Alex muttered, kicking off his shoes in the men’s changing area. “Literally.”
Lucas frowned briefly before brightening. “We’ve still got Plan B. Jus enjoy the soak for now.
The warm water embraced them as they eased into the shallow section, steam rising around their small bodies.
“This feels ridiculous,” Lucas sighed, sinking until the water tickled his chin. Like, how is water this good?”
Alex nodded in agreement, leaning back against the smooth stone edge. “Way better than that hotel jacuzzi in R Country.”
From their nearby pool, Adam and Thomas kept an eye on the boys without hovering, the mineral water working its quiet magic on tense muscles and busy minds.
Across the partition in the women’s section, Lily floated nearby as Irene closed her eyes, letting the day’s stress dissolve in the heat.
An hour later, wrapped in soft robes, the group met in the common lounge. Alex and Lucas were already sprawled on the cushions, faces flushed pink from the heat. Adam sat leafing through a financial magazine, hair still damp from his soak.
–
the resort’s yukata hanging open Irene paused in the doorway, momentarily transfixed. She’d never seen Adam so casual before just enough at the collar to reveal a glimpse of chest, his usually perfect hair falling across his forehead. Something about him drew her eye and quickened her pulse.
He looked up suddenly, catching her staring. Their eyes locked for a heartbeat too long before Irene felt a rush of teenage–like awkwardness, like she’d been caught passing notes in class. She busied herself with straightening her already–perfect robe belt, a strange nervousness making her fingers clumsy.
Thomas waved them over to the low table where he’d prepared tea for everyone. The triplets sat cross–legged on cushions, handling their cups with exaggerated care.
Irene poured a glass of water and quietly swapped it with Thomas’s tea before Adam could take it.
“Water’s better for you right now,” she explained, passing him the glass. “That ginseng blend might mess with your treatment.“/
Their fingers brushed during the handoff, sending an unexpected current up Irene’s arm that made her throat suddenly dry. The sensation lingered like a phantom touch, distracting enough that she nearly overfilled Lily’s cup while avoiding Adam’s gaze.
Adam paused before drinking, his thumb tracing the rim of the glass where her fingers had been. The slight furrow in his brow suggested he was puzzling over something he couldn’t quite name.
The resort’s clock ticked past eight–thirty as they finished their drinks, conversation flowing easily after the day’s activities.
Back in their adjoining suites, the triplets showed zero interest in bedtime despite heavy eyelids. On the walk from the lounge, they’d huddled together like tiny conspirators, whispering urgently.
“Hot springs failed, but we’ve still got our secret weapon,” Alex had murmured, voice barely audible over the hallway’s ambient music. “The game h to work.”
Lily and Lucas had nodded seriously.
Now as the clock hit nine, they stood in the center of the room vibrating with suspicious energy.
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Chapter 135
“Mom, Uncle Adam, they announced in perfect tinison, we need to Day a game together!
Their expressions were comically severe–looking more like they were suggesting emergency surgery than evening entertainment,
Irene and Adam traded jizzled lobks but hodded agreement, too curious to refuse.
“What’s got you guys so worked up about a game?” Irene asked, sinking into the nearest armchair.
The triplets visibly relaxed, victory flashing across their faces before herding everyone into position with ridiculous formality.
“It’s special,” Lucas declared mysteriously. “Trust me, you’ve never played this before.
“Super fun,” Alex added, though his face remained oddly somber.
“Everyone’s gonna love it,” Lily promised with a mischievous grin as they arranged themselves in a circle.
Thomas leaned against the wall, clearly amused by whatever the kids were plotting.
This game, clearly, was no ordinary game at all.
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