Alexander's POV
~Year 2031 – Six Years Later
"Sir, are you single?"
I turned around when a little hand tapped on the back of my knee. Did I just hear that right?
I looked down and there he was. A kid!
"Eh?" I was baffled when he continued.
"If yes, I can pay handsomely to buy you."
Buy me?! Who was that rich person to throw such a deal? A tiny, wide-eyed dude? His hair was neatly styled. His Brown eyes were warm and sharp, making my heartbeat race. My world paused as I stared at him more. His face, his mouth, the shape of his eyes, something in them flickered, something I'd seen before, maybe in the mirror on a quieter day.
Why the hell did this kid look like me?
Next to me, my secretary choked like he'd just swallowed his tongue. "S-sir… w-what did he say?"
The boy blinked up at me, his expression dead serious, like this was a business proposal he'd rehearsed. For a moment, I didn't respond. Couldn't.
It was a perfect spring afternoon. The kind of day you'd expect flowers and fresh air, not… a small child trying to purchase you like a rare watch.
I finally spoke. "What do you mean by that, kid?"
But he kept going, bluntly again. "What I meant was, would you like to marry a beautiful mommy? Please rest assured, I'll pay you handsomely!"
My lips twitched. Not out of amusement, out of confusion. Out of something I couldn't place. His voice… was ridiculously cute. High, clear, confident. It tugged at something inside me, something I wasn't used to feeling. It gave me a warm, familiar, and dangerous feeling that I had forgotten ages ago! It was probably a coincidence. It had to be.
Still, I found myself staring.
"I'm sorry, little man," I said slowly, trying to be friendly. "But I already have a girlfriend."
The light dimmed in his eyes. Like I'd turned off a switch. Why did I feel so bad about it?! Bad? No, terrible.
"Oh…" he said, voice soft now. "I apologize for taking your time, sir. Have a nice day."
He bowed slightly, bowed!? God! Then he turned and walked off. I didn't know that such a little kid could be this respectful, interesting! I stood there like a damn statue, watching his little back disappear into the crowd.
...Why the hell did that kid look like me? The question kept popping up in my head. I didn't know what came over me, but I followed him.
Maybe I was just curious. Or maybe I was… worried? He was tiny. His bravado caught me off guard already, yes, but still a child. The crowd inside the airport was growing thicker by the second, bodies moving in every direction. It would be too easy for someone like him to get lost.
The kid kept walking, weaving through legs and luggage like he'd done this a thousand times. So confident, intense. Like he owned and knew the place perfectly. Then a voice echoed overhead through the speaker system.
"Luca Li, please come to the information desk. Your mother is waiting for you."
That name scraped across my brain like a pin. His mother knew he could find the way. My brain reeled! He was barely six?
The boy paused, looked around quickly, then scanned the names above each booth. He could read! Smart and calm under pressure. Most kids would've panicked. He shoved his tiny hands into his full-bag jeans' pockets and casually headed straight toward the far end of the terminal, where the info desk was tucked away. And then I saw a familiar face. My company had worked with her before so obviously I knew who she was.
"God above, Luca! You are here!" the woman's voice barked as she rushed forward.
Her pink hair bounced with every step, peeking out from under a baseball cap. A black mask covered the lower half of her face, clearly trying to stay unnoticed. But she stood out anyway. Her energy was loud. She dropped to her knees in front of him and checked him over like a mom on high alert.
I didn't disturb or join. He was safe. He knew how to stay safe!?
"Ah. He's fine," she muttered with relief.
"I'm fine, Aunt Lilly," he answered, completely unfazed, like disappearing into a crowd, offering a deal, and finding his way back was just another Tuesday for him.
The woman, of course Lilly Wang, gave him a dramatic look, but I could tell she was relieved.
Who was this boy? And why did that name, Luca Li, feel like it meant something? Have I heard it before? Was he famous?
Behind the boy, Luca, a woman stood with her arms crossed, one brow arched like a sword. She didn't need to say much. Her posture alone demanded answers. What a bossy mom!
"Hmm," she voiced to pull his attention to her, cool and surely mean. "Luca Li, are you trying to drag reporters to our door?"
He lowered his head slightly. "I'm sorry, mommy!" he muttered. But his voice didn't sound all that sorry. Then, as if on cue, he perked up, his eyes drifting behind her to something, or someone, just out of my sight, so I cocked my head a bit, people blocked my sight.
"You two cheaters!" he called out with a smug grin.
Two more kids popped out from behind their mom. A boy and a girl, same age? Same height? Same face? Just different coloring.
The girl had soft brown, wavy hair, like the kind you'd find in magazine ads. Her blue eyes practically sparkled. The second boy had darker hair, black like mine, and skin a shade fairer than Luca's. All three of them looked… too similar. Like someone copy-pasted a base and changed the settings. Triplets!
People around us began to murmur. A few pulled out their phones, holding them up to take photos but the mom asked them to respect their privacy.
"Are they models?" someone whispered.
"Actors?" another asked. "They look famous."
"I don't know them!"
Lilly Wang, the lead vocalist of HIX girl group, was in a hot mess. She reacted instantly. Her whole body tensed, like she was wired for crisis.
"Time to go, Sarah!" she hissed, voice low and tight.
She grabbed Luca and practically flew toward the exit, heels clicking at lightning speed.
Sarah! Her name was Sarah. That name sliced through me, and I didn't know why.
I didn't move. I couldn't. Something in my chest twisted to know more about them, to watch more. And for the first time in a very long time… I felt completely off balance.
"Luna, Leo, let's leave."
The woman's voice was soft and pleasant. The two kids fell in step beside her, one on each side, like perfect little guards.
The boy, Leo, I assumed, carried a fat black-and-white kitten in his arms, unfazed by the curious stares. Headphones hung around his neck, his chin tilted slightly upward, walking like he owned the world. Her kids were so confident! The confidence rolling off them was… something else. People turned to look. Some smiled, some whispered. These kids didn't just walk, they owned every step.
I stayed close to the information desk, keeping my distance. I didn't know why, but I didn't want her, Sarah, to see me, thinking that I was a weirdo. Once they passed, I stepped forward and adjusted my sunglasses.
"Secretary Yang," I said, keeping my tone low. "Who's that woman with the triplets? Why was she so quick to leave? Afraid of reporters?"
Yang followed my gaze. "I'm not sure, sir. But that one was undoubtedly, Lilly Wang! Maybe her friend was a foreign blogger or influencer? She didn't look local."
I nodded, though I wasn't convinced.
"Alright," I muttered. "Let's go. I need to buy that engagement ring for Ellie. That kid's mom probably is single, and he was out looking for a father."
I said it like it was nothing. Like it didn't sit oddly in my chest. We exited the terminal, flanked by security as a small wave of reporters crashed toward us, cameras flashing, questions flying.
"Mr. Song, is it true you're proposing to Miss Chen?"
"Is she pregnant?"
"Is she cheating on you? I heard rumors that she was with another man in a bar."
"People say your ex cheated, Why would anyone cheat on you?"
"Is this just a business arrangement?"
I didn't respond. Didn't care! I slid into the back seat of my car like none of it mattered. Honestly, it didn't. And yet…
I couldn't stop hearing that kid's voice in my head. It had already shut all these voices in my mind, buried them.
"Would you like to marry a beautiful mommy?"
How ridiculous! Why did I even care?
But let's be fair, his mommy was beautiful and charismatic, one of the rarest gems that could attract all men but might never pick one. I loved this kind of tough woman. Look how she raised that brave son! Something tickled inside me.
Ah, what am I doing! Why did I get emotional out of the blue?