เข้าสู่ระบบFive more years had gone by, and the boys were getting older. Zane didn't have the stark resemblance to Ralph that Zion had to Aldwin. He had taken some of my looks, so it was easy to say he favoured his mother. I was grateful for that.More years went by, and soon the boys turned eighteen. They were adults, standing on the edge of adulthood with their whole lives ahead of them. Aldwin had decided that their eighteenth birthday would be more than just a celebration – it wouldn't be like the birthday parties they had always had. It would be an announcement. Aldwin felt it was time for the boys to be officially introduced into Imperial Holdings – the Ellison empire. It was something Mrs Ellison had always looked forward to.The Ellison Headquarters had never looked the way it did tonight. The glass tower that stood as a monument to Aldwin's empire was very much alive. String lights wrapped around the marble columns in the lobby, and the massive conference room on the executive floor was
"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know…" I chanted, holding my head in my hands."Stop that," my mum's firm voice interrupted. "That is obviously not a solution – worrying." She eyed me."For now, you don't have answers to how this came about, and telling Aldwin about this without proper answers is not a good idea." She paused, carefully scanning me with hawk eyes. I just knew a bomb was coming my way."How did Ralph's and Aldwin's babies both end up inside you at the same time, Kora?" She looked at me intently, waiting for answers.My whole body stiffened. I knew this question could come, but I had also imagined that none of them would ask me, given my bewilderment. But my mum had never been the one to push tough questions aside."Did you sleep with both men on the same day?" she asked again, her eyes darting between me and Lisa.I was mute, scared of whatever might slip out of my mouth. But the answer was yes – I had slept with both men on the same day, hours apart."Am I not tal
I nodded, still staring at the papers in my lap. "What am I going to do, Lisa?""First, you're going to breathe." Lisa took the papers from me and set them on the nightstand. "Then you're going to wait for your mum, and then the three of us are going to figure this out together."I wanted to believe her. I wanted to believe that there was a way through this – that the truth wouldn't destroy what I had managed to build, that Zane and Zion would never have to know about any of this.But the words on that paper seemed so real that I wasn't sure I could believe anything anymore.My mum arrived within the hour, breathless and worried. Lisa went downstairs to lead her to my room."Where is she?" my mum asked in a shaken tone, worry laced in her voice."She's upstairs," Lisa said quietly. "I need you to listen to what I'm about to tell you before you go up there."My mum nodded, her eyes wide with expectation. "What's going on?"Lisa took a deep breath. "Kora asked me to take DNA samples fro
The mansion came into view sooner than she expected, and Lisa was surprised at how quickly she had arrived. She parked in the circular driveway without bothering to find a proper spot and hurried through the front door. The staff member who greeted her barely had time to say hello before Lisa was already halfway up the stairs."Is Kora upstairs?" she asked, not slowing down."She's in the living room, ma'am," the maid called after her.Lisa stopped, turned around, and headed back down the stairs towards the living room.***I was waiting impatiently for Lisa downstairs. The moment she had called to tell me she was coming with the test results, I couldn't sit still. I heard voices and looked towards the entrance, and Lisa dashed in at that very moment, an envelope tucked under her arm."You got it," I said. It wasn't a question.Lisa nodded, holding the envelope tighter. "Not here. Let's go to your room," she said, dragging me away before I could say anything else.My heart thundered a
Lisa sat in her car for a full five minutes, still wondering why she had agreed to do this, before she worked up the courage to walk into the hospital. The building was nothing special – a grey stone structure on a quiet street in Queens, far enough from Manhattan that no one would accidentally recognise her or ask questions she didn't want to answer. Kora had chosen it for exactly that reason.She checked her reflection in the rearview mirror, smoothed down her hair, and reached for the small envelope on the passenger seat. Inside were two plastic bags, each containing a few strands of hair. The labels on the bags were names Kora had invented – names that meant nothing to anyone but her.Lisa stepped out of the car and walked towards the entrance. The reception area was quiet for a mid-morning, with only a few people in the waiting area. She approached the counter and waited for the receptionist to look up."I need to submit samples for a DNA test," Lisa said in almost a hushed tone,
Ralph had worked with Doo for years and knew the man wasn't to be trusted completely. He would admit that Doo was easier to get along with than most, but one needed to tread with caution. He did not doubt that assassins could be sent to his room before he was awake, given how unsettled Doo had seemed when Ralph asked for a partnership.The old man agreed, seeing that what Ralph had presented to him was tangible – it was a game changer. He wasn't going to let that slip through his fingers.Ralph wasn't stupid. If he had learned anything from the Black Triad, it was never to trust anyone and to always have a contingency plan. That lesson came in handy now, and he was going to use the Black Triad as his contingency tool.Ralph had engaged in shady operations while working for the Black Triad. He knew every in and out of their entire system and setup. He wasn't certain if he could still access their firewall, but he gave it a try anyway. As expected, there was an obstacle – he had anticip
What is this ego that comes with having so much money? I feel different— powerful in a way that feels entirely new. I transferred a large sum to my mom's account, more than I'd ever been able to give her. Her reaction when she called was priceless. Lisa’s reaction was even better; she almost scre
I opened my eyes slowly to see the housekeeper who had just woken me up. “Good morning, ma’am,” she greeted again. “Your breakfast is ready.” Is it morning already? Aldwin never came back. My first night as a married woman; no sex, and I slept alone. What exactly had I signed up for? “Where
As I pushed open the glass door of the bathroom, the warm scent of roses enveloped me. “What…is…this…?” I asked aloud, utterly shocked. The bathtub was filled with warm water, and rose petals floating gracefully on its surface. The soured party was more than compensated for. My feelings were thr
And what was that supposed to mean? My heart jumped to my throat. I tried to pull away, to demand an explanation, but his firm grip held me close against his chest. He placed his other arm on my waist, guiding me in a slow, intimate rhythm. The heat of his palm on my bare skin sent a confusing th







