What Matthew wasn't aware of was that after he headed to the shower, the four kids sneaked out and orchestrated a grand plan behind his back.
Later that night, Adkins and Boswell went to sleep with Matthew on one end of the bed, while Colman and Damian slept with Erica on the other end.
Obediently, the kids closed their eyes as soon as they lay down.
Since two of his sons weren't letting him work anymore, Matthew gave up on the idea and went to sleep with them.
After a long time, the bedroom was quiet again. Matthew then sat up and got out of bed in silence.
He first picked up Damian on the other end of the bed where he was sleeping, and then Colman…
"Ah! Dad! I caught you!" Colman, who was supposed to be asleep in Matthew's arms, screamed all of a sudden. The other three children all sat up immediately.
Getting up from the bed, they rushed to Matthew and laughed at him. "Dad, you said that we needed evidence before accusing you of anything. We've got it now!" Boswell stated.
Colman put his arms around his father's neck and said, "Dad, we weren't asleep yet. We only pretended to be so we could deceive you."
Damian laughed out loud this time.
Adkins held Matthew's leg and accused him, "So it was true. It turns out that you really took us away from Mom while we were asleep!"
During this whole time, Erica had been half asleep until the voice of her children fully woke her up. Sitting up, she asked in a daze, "What's going on?"
Damian ran to turn on the lights, exposing Matthew's livid face to everyone else in the room.
The children only laughed louder and louder when they saw their father's expression. They wanted their mother to know they had now the evidence of Matthew's "crime."
Matthew wanted to put Colman on the bed first, but the boy didn't let go of him. Instead, he took the chance to complain to Erica, "Mom, Dad took us away from you while we were sleeping. Look! He hasn't even put me down yet!"
After hearing her son's words, Erica burst into laughter.
Despite being caught red-handed by his children, Matthew managed to turn his face blank but only on the surface. Deep down, he wanted to grab the kids and slap each one on their buttocks. Casting a cold glance at the four boys, he pretended to be angry. "How dare you set me up!"
If the news that Matthew Huo himself was framed by his own sons spread, people would laugh their heads off. And Matthew wasn't very fond of this idea.
Yet Colman wasn't afraid of him at all. Standing on the bed, he wrapped his arms around Matthew's neck and started to jump up and down. "Father and son hierarchy doesn't matter in this case. In war, those who win become rulers, and those who lose are reduced to bandits. You taught us this yourself. So, tonight, you're the bandit."
Adkins stated, "The bandit should sleep on his own for a night as punishment."
"Dad, I don't mind your stinky smell, so you can have my room," Boswell suggested.
"Dad, if you're afraid of sleeping on your own, I'll keep you company," Damian offered gently.
Matthew was speechless for a moment. Once he recovered from his momentary shock, he pulled Damian into his arms and glanced at his other three sons and the woman snickering at him. "This won't happen again!"
Then he left the room, closing the door behind him. As soon as he got out, though, he heard the three children's cheers coming from inside the room.
Matthew looked down at his youngest son, who he was carrying under his armpit before straightening him up in his arms. Helplessly, he sighed and said, "I'm counting on you to support me in the future!"
Damian held his father's neck and answered, "Dad, don't worry. I'll make a lot of money to support you and Mom when I grow up."
"Good boy."
Early on the next morning, the other three children didn't seem as brave as they were on the night before. Carefully, they went downstairs to have breakfast, pushing each other forward as they slowly walked towards the dining room.
Eventually, as the eldest child, Adkins, stepped into the dining room. He politely greeted the man with the iPad and his brother, "Dad, Damian, good morning!"
Putting away the iPad, Matthew nodded at the boys and ordered the maids to serve the dishes as usual.
The three kids exchanged looks before Colman found the courage to ask, "Dad, aren't you angry with us?"
Matthew, who was wiping his hands with a wet tissue, paused and glanced at the three kids on the other end of the room. "Why should I be angry with you?" 'Are you scared now? What about last night when you pretended to be asleep and set me up? Weren't you thinking about the morning after?' he wondered.
Matthew's words caused the three children to breathe a sigh of relief. Boswell seldom complimented his father, but at that moment, he took the opportunity to do so. "Dad, you're so kind!" Before heading downstairs, the kids were sure that Matthew would be angry for being kicked out of the master bedroom with their brother last night.
Adkins had even decided he was going to sleep with his father the following night in order to comfort the man.
Damian looked at his brothers and took a sip of milk. Then he said, "Don't worry. Dad said that we are his and Mom's children. He can't really get angry with us." Last night, while he had a heart-to-heart conversation with Matthew, the latter revealed this piece of information to him in person.
Matthew's magnanimity brought a mix of guilt, excitement, and happiness to the three children.
"Dad, can I sleep with you tonight?" Adkins finally exposed what he had in mind.
Matthew raised his eyebrows at him and questioned, "You want to drive me out of my room again? Don't even think about it. I want to sleep with my wife!"
Adkins waved his hands at him immediately. "No, no, no. We just felt sorry for you because of what happened last night and reached an agreement that I will sleep with you first, then Boswell and Colman."
'They feel sorry for me?' Matthew put down his unfinished sandwich and said, "If you feel sorry for me, you can sleep on your own from this day forward and just leave your mom to me."
After a moment of hesitation, Boswell asked, "But what about us? We're only three years old. Dad, do you really have the heart to do that to us?"
"Of course I do. As men, shouldn't you be sleeping on your own already?" Matthew's voice remained unaffected. He had spent over three years away from his wife. Now that she was finally back, he still couldn't have her in his arms to sleep every night. How pathetic!
The four kids looked at each other before Adkins declared, "Dad, let's eat first." 'Since we can't reach an agreement now, we better talk about it later!' he thought.
"Okay," Matthew agreed.
Later that night, Y City was bustling. Even though it was cold outside, by eight or nine o'clock, the town was still crowded.
As Matthew got caught up in a trip abroad for two days, the four kids were temporarily at Sheffield's house in the care of Evelyn and a group of servants while Erica was out in the city.
The woman wrapped herself up tightly to remain protected from the cold. She had a hat, a mask, a sweatshirt, and trousers on. She was careful to specifically wear only black clothes as she walked in a high-end bar through a side door, not wanting to draw any undesired attention to herself.
As soon as she stepped into the bar, someone spotted her.
A seemingly ordinary man in jeans walked towards her. When he was about to pass by, he whispered, "Erma, they are on the second floor!"
"How many people are there?"
"Six."
"How many of our people have come?"
The man in denim looked around the first floor and answered, "About a hundred or more. Six of them are in Room 205 upstairs."
"Okay, you guys stay here. I'll go upstairs and walk around. I'll be right back."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Erica walked towards the stairs at the end of the bar and went up.
When she reached the second floor, she noticed that it lacked all the noise she was met with on the first floor. She found many waiters on standby in the corridor, and next to them, there were a few bodyguards in black in front of one of the private rooms.
