The Alchemists

That morning, Nicolae woke up feeling refreshed. He would've forgotten what had happened the night before if he didn't receive a text message early in the morning from his children, who was worried about his situation.

[Daddy, when will you come home?] He received a text from Altair when he just woke up.

A triumphant smile appeared on Nicolae's face as he imagined his two children feeling anxious when they thought he was sleeping with a scary-looking woman who would soon become their stepmother.

He deliberately took his sweet time to reply to their message for an hour, so Altair would think Nicolae was still fast asleep in the arms of Auntie Louisa. After he considered it long enough, he finally sent a reply.

[Good morning. Sorry, I slept so soundly that I woke up late. Thank you for planning this third date for Auntie Louisa and me. I will be home before lunchtime. You can already get your own breakfast, right?]

Altair didn't reply.

Nicolae laughed incessantly as he showered, had breakfast, and got ready to return to his apartment. When he arrived home, Nicolae refused to tell them what had happened between him and Louisa, and he mischievously let Altair and Vega guess how their father's third blind date went.

"Why are your faces gloomy like that?" Nicolae asked when lunchtime arrived. He had been watching the faces of his two children who looked sullen and frustrated, but he pretended not to notice.

Neither Vega nor Altair could answer. Both of them felt sad because their beloved father got into a relationship with a scary-looking woman. The look in Louisa's eyes in the three photos they received last night sent a shiver down their spines, and imagining Daddy Nic being attracted to such a woman made Altair and Vega feel like they wanted to cry.

At the same time, the two also felt guilty because it was they who arranged the meeting between Nicolae and Louisa

"We'll have lunch outside today, okay..." Nicolae said to his two children, buttoning his short-sleeved shirt. He had changed from his formal attire from last night's date with his usual casual getup. His favorite shirt and ripped jeans.

"Why eat lunch outside?" Vega asked quietly.

Smiling mischievously, Nicolae replied. "I don't know, I feel so tired this morning. You see, I had a strenuous activity last night with... ahem... anyway... so now I really don't have the energy to cook."

After saying such ambiguous sentences, he just left them at that. Altair and Vega looked at each other in horror. They could only guess what Daddy Nic did last night, which caused him to be so tired that he was now unable to cook lunch as usual.

Oh my God... Oh nooo...

Although they were only ten years old, both of them had been taught about s.e.x.u.a.l reproduction and they immediately imagined the kind of strenuous activity that Nicolae did the night before. Both of them could only swallow hard.

"Let's have lunch at a restaurant next to this building. Their food is pretty good." Nicolae invited them to have lunch outside once more.

Inevitably, Altair and Vega finally followed Nicolae. The man had planned this charade to get back at his two children for setting him up with a date from hell. He would pretend to be in a relationship with Louisa until Altair and Vega gave up finding him a girlfriend.

The small group came out of their apartment to the mall next to their building. They entered a famous restaurant on the first floor.

"You can order anything. I want to call Aunt Louisa first, okay?" Nicolae then pretended to look for a quiet place in the corner of the restaurant and acted like he was calling someone.

From the corner of his eye, he glanced at Altair and Vega's face, which looked increasingly murky. Inwardly, he was laughing nonstop. Oh, so this is how it feels like being able to prank your own children. This is so fun, he thought in amus.e.m.e.nt.

He would continue to let them think he was in a relationship with Louisa until they find out for themselves the truth one day. Until then, he would continue to have fun and annoy his two children.

After pretending to be on call with Louisa, looking all lovey-dovey, Nicolae returned to their table. Altair and Vega had decided on what dishes they wanted to order for lunch.

"Dad, look at the woman walking this way..." Vega exclaimed suddenly, pointing towards the entrance as she was looking around, waiting for the waiter to record her brother's order.

"Hush... you shouldn't point at people. It's rude," Nicolae said. Nevertheless, he raised his face and paid attention to the woman Vega was referring to.

His eyes narrowed, trying to remember where he had seen the beautiful girl in braided pigtails and freckled face who stepped into the restaurant with those lazy steps.

She actually looked stunning, despite being very indifferent to what she was wearing. She wore blue tank tops, ripped jeans, and casual strap sandals, while most girls at this mall wore their best dresses. So, she stood out even more.

Ah, that's right. Nicolae felt he had seen her somewhere, but he didn't remember where. The man then refocused his attention on the menu in his hand and mentioned the dishes he wanted to the waiter who was taking their order.

Unexpectedly, the girl who just entered also looked in their direction. From her surprised expression, it seemed she also recognized Nicolae and his two children. The girl's eyes narrowed while her face turned red and her expression instantly looked murky.

"Hey, you! So you're here!" the girl exclaimed in a shameless, loud voice.

"Eh...? You called me?" he asked her, astonished.

"Yes, you. I'm talking to you! You are not deaf, are you?" the girl shouted while walking toward their table.

As an educated gentleman with perfect manners, Nicolae would certainly never lower himself to the girl's shameless way of talking. He still replied in a calm and soft voice.

"Do we know each other?" he asked politely.

With long steps, the girl approached them and kicked his foot. "You jerk, you made me wait for you in the marina all night!"

"I made you wait at the marina? When? Why???"

It took 10 seconds for Nicolae to successfully remember where he had seen this girl in front of him and why she had waited for Nicolae in the marina all night.

Instantly, his eyes went round, and his mouth agape in surprise.

"Gosh! You seriously came to Marina Bay Harbor??? I was just kidding at that time!" Nicolae pressed his mouth with an expression of disbelief. He really didn't expect that Marie would comply with his request to come to the dock to apologize for accusing Nicolae of being a serial killer.

"I didn't know you were just joking! We are not that close for me to know your stupid sense of humor! You have to compensate me for my losses!" snorted the girl in annoyance.

"What kind of compensation do you want?" Nicolae asked patiently.

"You have to buy me a meal!" Marie answered, with her hands on her waist, looking very assertive.

Suddenly, Altair and Vega's faces were decorated with a very bright smile. Subconsciously, the two exchanged glances with a meaningful look. As twins, they had a very close connection, and they could know what their twin was thinking about.

This feisty auntie was far more interesting and more suitable for Daddy Nic than Auntie Louisa which gave them the creep.

'We must be able to make Daddy fall in love with this beautiful auntie and leave Auntie Louisa,' the two decided with determination in their hearts.

Before Nicolae could reply to Marie's words, Vega hurriedly pulled the hand of the uninvited guest and put on her angelic smile. She pushed Marie to sit on the chair beside her.

"Auntie, please forgive our dad. He's indeed a forgetful person. We'll make sure he apologizes and compensates Auntie properly."

"Please, sit down and eat with us. Daddy will pay for anything you order," Altair immediately added. "Right, Dad?"

"Eh? What's this? I haven't agreed yet..." Nicolae tried to protest, but his two children pretended not to hear him. Vega had signaled the waiter to take Marie's order, while Altair handed over the menu to Marie with a friendly smile.

Nicolae watched the scene before him with narrowed his eyes. He could immediately read the situation and knew that Altair and Vega still hadn't learned their lesson and were now trying to set him up with a new woman, again.