After checking into the Grand Hotel, Irene was finally getting settled in their suite. But as she opened her luggage to unpack, she found herself staring at the contents in disbelief. Instead of her carefully packed dresses and laptop, there was an impressive collection of perfectly tailored men’s suits, crisp dress shirts, and—she quickly closed the lid—designer underwear.

“Mom? Is everything okay?” Alex’s voice carried a note of carefully controlled innocence that immediately made her suspicious. Her eldest always sounded like that when he was plotting something.

“The suitcase…” She gestured helplessly at the expensive leather luggage that was definitely hers—same brand, same scratches—but somehow wasn’t. “It’s got men’s clothes in it.”

Lucas bounced over, his eyes widening with exaggerated surprise. “Oops! Maybe it got switched at the airport?”

Lily, ever the practical one, was already checking the luggage tag. “It says… Haven Enterprise.” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “Isn’t that the company that—”

“That’s not important right now,” Alex cut in smoothly, shooting his sister a meaningful look. “What’s important is getting Mom’s stuff back.”

—

In the presidential suite next to Irene’s room, Adam was having a similarly disconcerting moment.

“Get my stuff out, will you?” he called to Thomas. “I need to shower before the event.”

“On it, boss!” Thomas moved to unpack the suitcase, but as soon as he opened it, he froze.

Adam noticed his assistant’s hesitation. “What’s the problem?”

When Thomas didn’t immediately respond, Adam wheeled closer to look for himself. His eyes widened at the contents.

“What the hell is this?”

Designer dresses, high-end skincare products, a sleek laptop, and—his fingers brushed against something soft—a small silk sachet that released a hauntingly familiar scent.

The security guard hovering nearby suddenly spoke up. “Oh man… those kids at the airport! The twins – they had the exact same suitcase. Must’ve gotten mixed up.”

“Twins?” Adam’s eyebrow arched dangerously.

“Yeah, really well-behaved kids. Exact same suitcase model as yours, sir.”

Thomas quickly closed the suitcase. “Don’t just stand there! We need those documents back, like, now!”

Adam’s expression darkened. Those documents were worth millions, and now they were in the hands of… a woman with excellent taste in perfume and three children. Perfect.

—

Back in Irene’s room, Lucas was doing his best impression of a repentant five-year-old.

“Sorry Mom…” He scuffed his shoe against the carpet. “I really messed up. Are you gonna ground me?”

Irene found herself melting at his puppy-dog eyes, just as she always did. “Oh honey, it was just an accident. No one’s getting grounded.”

“Then maybe we could have dinner at that fancy restaurant downstairs?” Lucas brightened immediately. “You know, to make up for the suitcase thing?”

“They have a live piano performance tonight!” Lily chimed in, her eyes sparkling at the thought of music.

Alex, who had been suspiciously quiet, added, “Yeah, it’s got like four and a half stars on Yelp!”

Irene looked at their hopeful faces and felt her resistance crumbling. “Sure thing, kiddos. Let’s grab dinner there later!”

“Okay, Mom,” Alex replied dutifully, his fingers already flying across the keyboard. As Irene turned back to his siblings, he quickly accessed his specialized forums. Haven Enterprise’s consultation fee had risen to ten million dollars. Our maybe-dad sure isn’t shy about throwing money around, he thought wryly.

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