Chapter 2

Julia didn't have time to be angry anymore. She quickly explained, "How could I forget about you guys? I just lost track of time working on an experiment! I'm sorry. I promise it won't happen again."

Joe pouted. "Mommy, you always say that, but once you go into the lab, you forget everything."

"Yeah, you love your experiments more than us. I'm mad," Steve huffed, turning his face away from Julia.

Julia squatted down and gently coaxed Joseph and Stephen, completely forgetting that she had come to scold them.

"You two have some nerve being mad. Look at what you've done to my data. Hurry up and fix it. I need to start the next round of experiments." Nelson peeked out from behind a blacked-out computer screen, looking frazzled and frustrated.

Joseph and Stephen were just too talented. No matter how many security measures Nelson put on the computer, Joseph could always break through them with ease.

Joseph turned his head. "If you didn't give my mommy so many tasks, she wouldn't have to stay in the lab for a whole week and forget about us."

"Exactly!" Stephen chimed in. "And your data was all wrong. Steve deleted it for your own good."

Nelson couldn't help but laugh, "I didn't give your mommy that many tasks. In fact, she has the least amount of work in the whole lab."

This was true. Despite his complaints, Nelson adored these two genius kids just as much as Julia did. He always simplified her workload whenever he could.

However, Julia was exceptionally talented in biological research, so she often ended up with the more challenging tasks.

Everyone in the lab knew Nelson favored Julia, but no one said anything.

Julia was aware of this too, but she still felt warm inside seeing Joseph and Stephen stand up for her.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Porter. Joe and Steve were being too mischievous and caused you trouble," Julia apologized, then sternly looked at Joseph. "Joe, stop messing around and restore Dr. Porter's computer. There are important experimental data on it, and losing them would be disastrous."

Joseph pouted. "I wasn't messing around. I was upgrading Uncle Nelson's computer."

Stephen, in his sweet childlike voice, added, "Even if Joseph lost Uncle Nelson's data, I could recreate it. All the useful data on his computer is in my head."

Stephen patted his head proudly with his small, delicate hand.

Julia was speechless. Her two sons were just too smart.

At only five years old, Joseph was already a top-tier hacker known as Spectre, and Stephen had a photographic memory and exceptional talent in mathematics.

Julia's income over the years had been managed by Stephen's investments, turning her from a regular employee into a wealthy woman who could easily retire.

Nelson adored Joseph and Stephen too. Hearing Stephen's boast, he couldn't help but praise, "Yes, Steve is the smartest."

Joseph, who was helping Nelson restore the computer, tilted his head. "Do you think I'm not that smart?"

"Of course not, you're clever too," Nelson quickly added, afraid of hurting Joseph's feelings.

Julia couldn't help but laugh at the exchange.

Nelson then turned to her. "How did the Retreats experiment go?"

"It was a success!" Julia's experiment had been a great success. With one more verification, the results could be put to use.

Nelson nodded approvingly. "That's great. Now I can move on to my next plan."

Julia was taken aback. "Next plan?"

"Yes, the reason I established this biological lab was to use Mirathia's advanced environment and equipment to accelerate our research. Now that we've achieved that, I want to move the lab back to our own country. After being away for so long, it's time to contribute to our country's biological science development."

Hearing this, Julia's expression stiffened. "Dr. Porter, are you planning to..."

"Moving the lab back will take some time, so I hope you can go back first and prepare. Once things are settled here, and you've established yourself there, I'll bring the team over." Nelson had everything planned out.

Julia felt a deep resistance. She didn't want to go back. There was nothing left for her there, only people and things she wanted to escape from.

"Dr. Porter, I'd rather stay here and help wrap things up. As for going back..."

"Julia," Nelson interrupted her gently, "I know you have bad memories there, but as biologists, we have a responsibility to contribute to our country's growth. I'm not trying to pressure you morally, but I believe that if our research results fall into Mirathia's hands, it would be a loss for our country. Moreover, Mirathia will never truly accept us. We can't achieve long-term development here. It's better to go back and contribute to our country."

Nelson paused and looked deeply at Julia. "Most importantly, six years have passed. You're no longer the same Julia. You're calm and strong now. Nothing and no one can easily hurt you anymore."

Nelson's words struck a chord with Julia. Avoiding her problems wouldn't solve anything. Besides, she was no longer the same person.

Whether it was the Kennedy Family or Henry, they couldn't hurt her like before.

And she had some unfinished business to take care of.

"Alright, Dr. Porter, I agree," Julia said.

Joseph and Stephen exchanged excited glances when they heard their mom agree to go back.

Finally, they could go back and find their dad. They were determined to teach that jerk a lesson for abandoning their mom and them!

A week later, at Neoville International Airport.

Julia pushed two large suitcases, with Joseph and Stephen sitting on top, their chubby little legs swinging as they curiously looked around.

Their identical, finely sculpted faces attracted the attention of many passing travelers.

"Mommy, I'm hungry." After a long flight, Joseph and Stephen were tired and hungry.

Julia checked the time. "Hang in there. Your godmother should be here soon to pick us up. Then we'll get something delicious to eat."

"Yay!" Joseph and Stephen perked up at the mention of food.

Julia settled them on a bench, telling them not to run off, and stepped aside to call her best friend, Caroline Seymour.

As she waited for the call to connect, a familiar cold voice suddenly reached her ears, exclaiming, "Damn it! If you can't find her, you're all fired!"

Julia froze and instinctively looked in the direction of the voice.

Not far away, a group of black-clad bodyguards surrounded a tall, imposing, and incredibly handsome man who was ordering them to find Tiffany Hearst.

His cold, stern features were filled with anger, and his icy fury seemed sharp enough to cut through the air.

Julia's pupils contracted when she recognized him.

Henry!

She never expected to run into the one person she never wanted to see right after getting off the plane.

Without a second thought, Julia hung up the phone, grabbed Joseph and Stephen, and hurriedly pushed the suitcases away.

"Mommy, is Aunt Caroline here?" Joseph asked innocently.

Julia walked briskly forward without looking back. "Your godmother is stuck in traffic. I'll take you to get something to eat first."

Stephen clung to the suitcase handle, his big eyes wide with innocence. "But won't we be too full to eat the good food later?"

"That's okay. Just eat a little for now."

Julia's only thought was to find a place to hide Joseph and Stephen. Henry must not find out about them.

Even though she had no illusions about Henry anymore, she knew him well enough to know that if he discovered Joseph and Stephen were his children, he would stop at nothing to take them away.