Mag-log inHe hesitated for a moment. Whatever it was, I was certain it weighed on his mind. He had been thinking about it for weeks, and he couldn't wait any longer."Who do you think Father will pick?" he asked. "As CEO, I mean. It has to be one of us, eventually."I was taken aback a little, trying to understand why Zion would come up with such a question."Why are you asking me that?""Because I've been thinking about it."Zion glanced across the room, where Zane was standing by the windows, talking to one of the shareholders with a look of polite disinterest."A company only has one CEO. Father can't name both of us."I set my champagne glass down on a passing server's tray, trying to control the wave of emotions that was bubbling inside me. I wondered how he had come up with such thoughts."You and your brother are equals, Zion. You're both heirs. That's what tonight is about.""That's not what I asked," he said firmly."I know," I said, reaching up to straighten his bow tie, the way I alw
A company had only one CEO. That was just a fact. Someone had to make the final decision, carry the ultimate responsibility, stand at the helm while everyone else followed. Aldwin had been that person for as long as Zion could remember, and he had always assumed that one day, the role would pass to him.But Zane was his twin. They were equals in every way that mattered, born on the same day, raised in the same house, given the same opportunities. If Aldwin intended to name one of them as the heir apparent, he had never said so out loud.Zion had always seen himself as the obvious choice. He was more like Aldwin, both in appearance and attitude, charm and charisma. Zane on the other hand was a total opposite, and he wasn't so interested in anything that has to do with Imperial Holdings – the Ellison Empire, or so he thought. Zion saw himself as the son who had always shown interest in knowing things about the business. He always asked the right questions and his inquisitiveness was ev
Five 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
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
My phone beeped. A message from Lisa: “We are here.” It read. I hurried out, only to find the broad-shouldered man standing guard outside the door. “Do you have to follow me everywhere?” I asked with an exasperated sigh. “I’m simply following orders, ma'am,” he replied with a shrug. I ignored
“It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Aldwin Ellison, and congratulations,” one of the men beside Aldwin said with a genuine smile. “This is Mr. Pearson, the CEO of Pearson group,” Aldwin said, still holding my waist. “Thank you, Mr. Pearson,” I said with a smile. Aldwin went ahead to introduce me to







