My Billionaire Ex Beg For A Second Chance-Chapter 152: Some People You Just Don’t Want to Know

"That auntie’s not a nice person," Nathan muttered from the backseat.

The car was quiet save for the hum of the engine and the soft music playing low from the radio. The sky outside had already darkened into a bluish-purple hue, streaked with the last remnants of sunset. From the driver’s seat, Katherine’s hands tightened slightly around the steering wheel.

"No," she thought silently. "She’s not."

They had left the toy store with their gifts and fled from the chaos Miranda had stirred. After the confrontation, Katherine had ushered the twins and Jazz to another floor in the mall, anywhere that didn’t carry the scent of Miranda’s perfume or the sharpness of her voice.

Even patient, sunny Jazz had vented a rare spark of frustration as they sat around a different food stall eating fishballs and noodles.

"God, that woman was a piece of work," Jazz had said, slamming her chopsticks into the takeout box. "I don’t care if she’s royalty or whoever—what kind of adult yells at kids and a babysitter in public like that? She was just... obnoxious."

Katherine hadn’t responded at first. Not because she disagreed—if anything, she agreed too much—but because it wasn’t easy to explain Miranda’s entanglement in her life. When Jazz had glanced at her and asked, "Do you know her or something?" all Katherine could do was nod slowly.

"Yeah. We’ve met before," she’d said, choosing her words carefully.

Thankfully, Jazz didn’t push.

Now, as the car rolled through the familiar streets toward home, her thoughts kept spiraling back to the confrontation. Miranda’s tone, the way she looked at Maya—like the child was beneath her. She doesn’t deserve to be around children. Not mine.

The twins sat quietly in the back, but the stillness didn’t last long.

"Mom?" Nathan called again.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Did you really know that auntie?"

Katherine glanced at him through the rearview mirror. His small brows were furrowed in confusion.

"I do," she admitted softly. "We’re not friends though. Just... someone I used to know."

Maya, who had been sucking on a juice box, popped her head up. "Then why do you know her? She’s mean. And scary."

Katherine gave a short laugh, though there wasn’t much amusement in it. "Sometimes, grown-ups meet other people they don’t always get along with. It just happens."

"But why do you keep her if she’s not nice?" Maya asked, her little mouth twisting in confusion.

"I don’t ’keep’ her, honey," Katherine explained, eyes still on the road. "She’s more of... an acquaintance."

Maya tilted her head. "A quack-quaintance?"

"Acquaintance," Katherine corrected with a small smile. "It’s like... someone you kind of know, but they’re not really a friend. You don’t talk to them every day. You don’t hang out with them. You just... know who they are."

Nathan huffed. "Well, I hope we never see her again."

Maya nodded solemnly. "Me too."

Katherine’s voice dropped into a murmur. "Same here."

She wouldn’t dare explain more—not how Miranda once dated Leonard, or how that woman used to call her nothing more than a replacement, a girl beneath their league. And despite Leonard’s insistence that he was done with her, Katherine never could quite erase the sting of memory. And now, seeing Miranda again stirred up everything like a dust cloud in her chest.

She tightened her hands around the steering wheel as they approached Jazz’s apartment complex. The car rumbled gently beneath them, the soft hum of tires rolling over the pavement filling the silence in the car. Jazz, who had been oddly quiet since they left the mall, finally leaned forward slightly from the back seat.

"Thanks again for today, Miss K," she said, reaching for the door handle once they came to a stop near the curb. "I swear, next time I’ll be the one treating you guys. Once my little rust bucket’s out of the shop."

Katherine glanced back and offered a tired but warm smile. "Don’t worry about it."

Jazz laughed and unbuckled her seatbelt. "Maya, Nathan—you two were awesome today. Make sure you take care of your mom, okay?"

"We always do," Maya said proudly.

Jazz leaned forward between the seats, giving Katherine’s shoulder a quick squeeze. "Get some rest, yeah? And... if you ever want to talk about what happened back there—"

"I know," Katherine cut in gently, eyes flicking to the rearview mirror. "Thanks."

Jazz nodded once, sensing that now wasn’t the time to push. "Alright. Bye-bye, monsters!" she said to the twins in a singsong voice.

"Bye, Jazz!" they echoed together with little waves as Jazz climbed out and shut the door behind her.

Katherine gave her a wave through the window and then pulled away from the curb, the quiet of the car settling in like a soft fog.

They finally pulled into their apartment complex parking lot. The familiar surroundings gave a small sense of comfort. Katherine helped the twins carry the gift bags out of the trunk, and they trotted up the stairs to their floor, giggling again—thankfully unaware of their mother’s lingering mood.

She walked up to the door, punched in the passcode, but just as the beep confirmed the lock, the door directly across the hall clicked open.

"Katherine!"

Leonard.

He stepped out, barefoot in navy lounge pants and a soft white T-shirt. His hair was slightly tousled like he’d just finished drying it from a shower.

"Back late tonight, huh?" he asked, flashing that warm, boyish grin.

Nathan was the first to answer. "We went to the mall!"

Maya held up her bag. "We bought a present for Julio!"

Leonard’s eyes brightened. "Oh? I thought we were gonna go buy it together."

Nathan’s shoulders dropped a little, and Maya’s face scrunched in guilt. "Oh right..." Nathan mumbled. "We forgot."

Leonard crouched down so he was eye-level with them, his smile softening. "Hey, hey. It’s okay. It’s for Julio, right? That’s all that matters."

Katherine stood back, holding her keys in one hand. She gave Leonard a polite, faint smile, but it barely reached her eyes.

"Come on, guys. Let’s go inside," she urged quietly.

The twins scampered in.

Leonard stood, looking at her, his brow knitting slightly. "Everything alright?"

"I’m fine," Katherine replied quickly.

He waited a beat before giving her a gentle nod. "Good night then."

"Good night," she echoed, barely above a whisper. She closed the door.

Inside, the lights of the apartment buzzed softly. She exhaled and leaned her forehead against the closed door for a second.

Katherine opened the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, and leaned against the counter.

It was hard to ignore the strange tightness in her chest. She told herself it was just fatigue. But the image of Miranda lingered. The way Leonard used to look at Miranda back when they were together. The way Miranda seemed so sure of herself—as if she still had a claim on something.

Katherine, stop it, she told herself. That’s all in the past. You don’t need to feel like this anymore.

But she did.