The Billionaire Twins Need A New Mommy!-Chapter 653: Don’t You Dare

They said that when one stood at death’s door, their life would flash before their eyes. Perhaps they were right, because Jarvis could see his own life replaying before him.

It started with the first memory he could recall—curling up in a corner while listening to his drunken father grumble about the governor, over and over again. From that same spot, he would often watch his father raise his hand and beat his mother while she screamed for mercy.

The very corner where he watched his delusional, bitter, and desperate father plot to take down the governor.

Then, in that same corner, he saw a hand—dirty, rough with calluses—reaching out to him.

Jarvis still remembered looking up and seeing that gentle smile. The smile that made him feel seen for the first time.

He remembered being carried out of that corner because he was too small for his age, so malnourished that he was on the brink of death. And then, slowly, his life began to change. From eating crumbs off the floor, a variety of food was gradually introduced to him.

From watching everything from a corner like an unwilling audience, people started looking in his direction. Smiles surrounded him. Questions reached him like icebreakers. But none of them forced him out of his shell.

They simply made him feel that he was no longer just someone watching life unfold.

But rather, someone who should live as well.

Someone who needed to be a part of life.

Eventually, everyone’s collective efforts paid off. Jarvis stopped being the child trapped in a corner like an animal and began living like everybody else.

And for the longest time, he finally had the space to wonder—where had everything gone wrong?

After being rescued by the governor, he lived a good life. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good—better than the life he had before. And he was forever grateful for that.

So, when did he start feeling this resentment? The kind that pushed him to stab the very man he saw as his father? And the man he called his brother for life? Or the woman who embraced him with such warmth?

There were many instances—small, horrible decisions, words Jarvis could never take back—that piled up and eventually forced him to do the unthinkable. But if he were being honest, he would say...

Perhaps it was nature versus nurture.

That no matter how good everyone around him was, he probably just couldn’t help it. Because at the end of the day, Jarvis was a bitter man’s son—not Makoto’s.

Jarvis blinked, and time around him felt slow.

"Falling shouldn’t be this dramatic," he muttered, his eyes refocusing on the figure hanging near the broken window where he had been tackled.

A light scoff escaped him as he closed his eyes, silencing everything around him as he finally accepted the inevitable end. He waited, but before he hit the ground, the corner of his lips curled upward, as if he remembered something that made him smile.

THUD!

Meanwhile, Haji’s finger hooked onto the edge of the floor-to-ceiling window. Shards pierced through his skin, and the wind made his body sway sideways.

"Damn it..." he grunted through gritted teeth, trying to pull himself up.

Had it not been for his physical condition, he would’ve managed without trouble. But on top of being shot with a tranquilizer, forcing the poison out of his system, the chase itself had already drained him—and he still had to fight Jarvis.

Good thing he’d stopped wasting his days napping and started training when he joined Lola in the Order.

Despite the altitude, the sound of a body crashing below echoed in his ears. Haji froze, his breath stopping for a second before he slowly looked down.

There, lying on the ground, was Jarvis.

Blood spread beneath his body. His eyes were still open, blood spilling from his mouth, but that fall had ended him.

For a moment, the tension in Haji’s shoulders eased as he stared down at the man. But he couldn’t dwell on it for long as his fingers were slipping.

Turning his attention back to his grip, his hands trembled. He gathered what little strength he had left to keep himself from falling and ending the same way. Even when he reached out with his other hand, there was barely anything to grab onto.

"Shit," he breathed out, his heart sinking as his mind already pictured what would happen in the next minute.

He shook his head, refusing to accept it. As long as he still had strength, he had to try—he always did.

"Ugh..." Another grunt escaped him as he pulled with everything he had.

Slowly, he made progress. For a moment, he thought he might manage on his own. Then his hand slipped. His body betrayed him, like an engine running out of gas.

No—

His breathing halted, his heart skipping a beat. His vision narrowed as his mind went blank.

He was going to fall.

Time froze, and in that brief moment, he almost felt his own life flash before his eyes—just like Jarvis.

Then, a hand reached out and grabbed his arm.

Shards flew from the broken window, raining down like tears. Silence followed as the wind whispered around them.

Haji’s pupils dilated as he stared at the person holding him.

Scarlet?

Scarlet clung to his arm with all her strength, one foot braced against the window frame, her other hand gripping the glass-ridden edge for balance.

"Don’t you dare," she hissed, glaring at the stupid look on his face. "I’m still going to kill you, so don’t you dare make that expression."

Haji blinked, his mind struggling to catch up.

"What look on my face?" he said lightly, summoning the last of his strength as he pulled with her help.

They both grunted, teeth grinding as they worked together. Slowly, Haji hauled himself up until he could lift a leg and brace it, pushing himself back inside.

When he jumped in, and Scarlet followed, both of them rolled across the floor—him one way, her the other. They were still close to the broken window, but far enough from death.

They lay there, panting, staring up at the ceiling.

When Haji finally caught his breath, he turned his head toward her and laughed. The short sound made Scarlet glance his way.

"Haha... hahaha!"

"...." Scarlet clicked her tongue against her cheek as he laughed for no reason. Her lips almost curved upward, but she looked away and muttered, "Idiot."