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Chapter seven

Author: Happiness
last update Last Updated: 2025-11-25 16:30:11

The Family Lie

Vivian cooked Leo’s favorite meal—tacos—and the atmosphere in the small cottage kitchen was thick with a nervous energy that had nothing to do with chili powder. Elias, dressed in a casual cashmere sweater and chinos, was doing his best to look like a man who frequently hung out in cozy, slightly cluttered kitchens, and failing spectacularly.

Leo, however, was in a good mood, detailing the flaws of Elias’s new drone replacement (a much simpler, non-Japanese model).

“So, Mr. Thorne, are you building your headquarters in the Harborview Inn?” Leo asked, scooping guacamole onto a tortilla.

“Yes, Leo, I am,” Elias replied, giving Vivian a discreet nod—the signal to begin the difficult conversation.

Vivian took a deep breath. “Actually, Leo, Elias won’t just be a neighbor or a temporary client. We have something we need to tell you.”

Leo paused, his eyes flicking between his mother’s serious face and Elias’s unreadable but intense expression. He immediately sensed the gravity
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  • Billionaire secret Baby   Epilogue

    A Permanent FoundationOne Year LaterThe salt air carried the familiar scent of damp earth and the subtle, peppery aroma of late summer blossoms. The Green Foundation had expanded subtly, intelligently. Elias’s initial investment had helped, but the true growth came from Vivian’s design brilliance and Elias’s surprising skill at managing inventory and securing fair long-term contracts—a role he fulfilled from a small, glass-walled office added tastefully onto the back of the nursery.The cottage itself was now a perfect blend of their two worlds. Elias's influence was evident in the impeccably organized pantry and the new, professional-grade tools in the shed. Vivian's spirit filled every room, from the overflowing bookshelves to the framed, antique nautical maps that now adorned the walls of the living room, a gift to Leo from his father.Leo, now eleven, burst through the front door, his face flushed from the afternoon sun."Dad! Can we do a round of chess before dinner? I've got a

  • Billionaire secret Baby   Chapter Twenty

    The Price of a Real PromiseA few days passed after the emotional revelation to Leo, allowing the new reality to settle. Leo was adjusting well, excited by his sudden, permanent "chess dad" and the fact that Elias was now staying in his old room at the Inn indefinitely. The tension in the air had been replaced by a quiet, joyful exhaustion.Elias had one final act to complete to permanently sever ties with the Thorne empire.He found Vivian in the garden, planting new hydrangeas near the porch. He held a small, antique, velvet box—not the one containing the massive, tracked diamond, but a far smaller, more discreet one."I need your help with something," Elias said, kneeling beside her in the dirt.Vivian wiped her hands on her jeans. "More logistics? Are we dissolving the holding company for the Inn yet?""More symbolic than logistical," Elias replied. He held up his hand, displaying the huge, glittering engagement ring—the one Harold Thorne had seen—that was still on her finger. "T

  • Billionaire secret Baby   Chapter Nineteen

    The Full, Unvarnished TruthThe following morning, the atmosphere in the cottage was charged not with tension, but with anticipation. Elias and Vivian were dressed in comfortable, ordinary clothes, projecting an image of calm unity. Leo was seated at the kitchen table, a box of cereal forgotten in front of him. He knew a serious talk was coming."Leo, honey," Vivian began, sitting opposite him, Elias placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We have to talk about a few things that happened, especially over the last few weeks. Some of what we told you wasn't entirely true."Leo’s bright, whiskey-colored eyes, so much like Elias’s, widened slightly. "You mean about the engagement? It's not real?""The engagement is very real, sweetie," Elias cut in, kneeling beside the table so he was at Leo's eye level. "But the story we told you about why we broke up and why we reunited so fast was a lie. A necessary one, but a lie nonetheless."Elias took the lead, his voice steady and earnest. He

  • Billionaire secret Baby   Chapter Eighteen

    The Quiet TruthThe following evening, the coastal town settled into its usual rhythm of gentle waves and salt air. Leo was spending the night at the Inn, enjoying the grand new space under the relaxed supervision of Mrs. Henderson. For the first time since Elias’s arrival, the cottage was truly empty, stripped bare of performance, threat, and contractual obligation.Vivian was sitting on the porch swing, listening to the crickets, when Elias emerged from the darkness. He wasn't carrying a briefcase, or a security report, or even coffee. He was carrying a worn, heavy bottle of vintage wine—a bottle he’d apparently saved from the Thorne cellar before his great corporate purge.He sat beside her, not touching, but the proximity was now a choice, not a risk."I finished cleaning out the office at the Inn," Elias said quietly, uncorking the wine. "It's yours now. Everything but the security server is gone. I even packed my suits. I won't be needing them."Vivian accepted the glass of dark

  • Billionaire secret Baby   Chapter Seventeen

    The Unburdening of the ThroneFollowing the successful defense of The Green Foundation, the intense professional focus between Elias and Vivian began to relax. The relief of victory, combined with the intimacy of their shared struggle, brought a quiet tenderness to their interactions. The Zero Physical Contact rule was now often broken by small, unconscious acts—a hand resting on the small of Vivian’s back, a shared glance of understanding, the easy way they now passed Leo back and forth.One afternoon, Elias walked into the nursery not carrying a briefcase, but a large, antique chest. He looked tired, but the expression on his face was one of profound relief."I need to show you something," he said, setting the chest down in Vivian's office. "And I need you to know the full cost of staying here."Vivian sat on the edge of her worn chair, watching him. "What is it?"Elias knelt and opened the chest. It was filled, not with jewels, but with scrolls, ledgers, and heavy, official docume

  • Billionaire secret Baby   Chapter Sixteen

    The Siege of The Green Foundation The forty-eight hours passed in a frantic blur of spreadsheets, phone calls, and hushed strategy meetings. Elias, true to his word, maintained the agreed-upon "Zero Physical Contact" rule, treating Vivian with the laser-focus of a CEO and the cool detachment of a distant colleague. Yet, the confined space and the shared intensity of the threat made the lack of touch more intimate than any embrace. They worked side-by-side, reviewing every contract for The Green Foundation, hunting for the weakness Harold Thorne would exploit. Vivian knew the names of every supplier, the history of every loan. Elias knew the language of corporate law, leverage, and acquisition. "It's here," Elias stated late Tuesday evening, tapping a line on a decade-old agreement for the nursery's prime commercial bank loan. "The loan is callable if the primary supplier for the rare Japanese Maples—Yamaguchi Imports—defaults or terminates the contract without a replacement. The Ja

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