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His expression mirrored her shock, and for a long moment, they both stared at each other in stunned silence.

Wilson, equally stunned, had never imagined his first encounter with the new CEO would be with his ex-wife because he never thought that the CEO would turn out to be the same woman who he took everything from and also divorced 7 years ago, leaving her with nothing but the choice to roam on the streets of LA.

Wilson snickered. "So this means that Lilian had gotten remarried right after our divorce? That slutty bitch couldn't even wait to run into the arms of another man and bear him children. Something she couldn't even do while being married to me." He thought, disgust etched on his face as he glared at her.

According to the information he had, it was said that the new CEO was the mother of the winners and was married to a wealthy business man.

Lilian finally snapped out of her stupor, her hands trembling slightly but she regained her composure as she slid the file toward Mr. Cunningham.

"My apologies, everyone," she began, her voice steady and firm, "but as the CEO of this global empire, I won't accommodate anymore  partnership with The BW Enterprise. All existing agreements and collaborations must be terminated with immediate effect."

Her declaration caused the board members to gasp in disbelief, murmurs spreading like wildfire. But none of them were as stunned as Wilson. His face drained of color and his eyes darkening at the sudden turn of events.

A screeching sound of a chair being drawn back against the tiled floor resounded in the room as Wilson stood up angrily.

"What do you fucking mean by that, Lilian? You've barely taken the reins, and already you're abusing your powers, rubbing it on my face after all my contributions in this Empire? That's fucking unacceptable! You'd be the one leaving instead of me, and I will make sure of that, I promise you," He threatened but surprisingly, Lilian remained calm, a sly smile spreading across her face in amusement as she watched Wilson lose his control.

"Are you done?" Lilian asked, arching a questioning eyebrow and it had Wilson feeling uncomfortable as he swallowed hard, clenching his fists.

She shook her head in disappointed as she leaned forward to the table.

"Mr. Barker, I think it's best if you watch your tongue. I won't accept such disrespect from you next time, and if this ugly attitude from you persists then you'd leave me no choice but to get you kicked out of this consortium in a manner that will be... memorable." She warned coldly and Wilson gnashed his teeth, anger rumbling in his eyes.

"You wouldn't dare," He said through his gritting teeth and moved his gaze to Mr. Cunningham. 

"And why are you so quiet, Mr. Audrey? You're quietly watching this bitch here make such stupid decisions without intervening. Was this what we decided on when we got to corporate together? Do something, Mr. Cunningham before I take matters into my own hands," Wilson threatened. 

Mr. Cunningham could only sigh, resting his hands on the desk before speaking, "I am sorry to say this, Mr. Barker but I can't do anything about it because I no longer have a hand in this business since Mrs. Lilian is now the owner of the company." He dropped the bombshell, leaving Wilson stunned and speechless, his brows furrowing.

"As we all know, most decisions are currently in her hands and I will suggest that you should be nice to her. Try to talk things out than to raise your voice and calling her a bitch. That's disrespectful and unprofessional of you," Mr. Cunningham said truthfully.

Deep down, Lilian was a bit surprised that Mr. Cunningham was supporting her decision but she didn't let it show as she acted along.

Lilian scoffed as she graceful stood up from her seat, waving her hand in dismissal in the air. "It's fine, Mr Cunningham. He can yell all he wants because well, a dog can bark all day without getting tired so let him be. He'll realize his mistake soon enough. But one thing I know is that my decision is final." 

"You can't do this to me, Lilian! Who do you think you are? How dare you?!" Wilson shouted in fury, but Lilian remained unfazed, not sparing him a glance.

"The meeting is adjourned and will resume tomorrow. All board members are required to attend—except for Mr. Wilson Barker," Lilian said coldly, before preparing to leave. Sophie hurriedly gathered the legal documents, ready to follow her out.

But before they could exit, the door flew open, and Lilian's children dashed in, excitedly surrounding her.

"Mummy, mummy!!!" They screamed out, happily hugging her around her thighs and a beautiful smile curled up Lilian's lips, her eyes teary as she crouched down to their heights.

"My babies," She whispered, her lips trembling as she ruffled her little boy's dark hair then kissed her girl on the cheeks. "Mummy is so proud of you, baby," She whispered sincerely, warmth and joy surging in her heart.

"Mummy, don't cry," Rose wiped her mother's wet cheeks with her little hand. "You deserve the absolute best, just like daddy always said. I love you, mummy," She said while pulling her mum into a tight hug, her little hands barely going around her mum.

The board members smiled at the lovely bonding while Sophie felt her eyes turn teary, the cute sight of the trio before her was way too heartwarming, and deep down she wished to have a family like that.

Lilian sobbed, drying her tears with her hands but Sophie handed her an hankie which she accepted, drying off her tears. 

"I’m not crying, sweetheart. I’m just so proud of you both," Lilian tried to reassure them, but Daemon wasn’t convinced.

"Don't lie to us, Mum. Lying is bad. You’re crying, and we don’t like seeing you upset. It makes us sad," Daemon said, his little lips pouting. Lilian couldn't help but burst into laughter at how adorable he looked.

"Alright, alright. Mummy won’t cry anymore. I promise," she said, smiling softly as she pulled both of them into a tight hug. When she released them, her expression turned serious.

"But listen, you two should never do that again. What if something happened to you while you snuck out of school to join that contest? You could have been hurt or worse. Mummy would never forgive herself if that happened," she scolded them gently, though the worry in her heart was real. The thought of anything happening to them had frightened her deeply.

Rose, growing tired of her usual lectures, placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "You worry too much, Mum. We’re fine! We’re six years old, remember?"

"Yeah, Mum! We can handle ourselves," Daemon chimed in, backing up his sister. "And besides, we weren’t alone. Uncle Joe was with us."

"Uncle Joe knew about this and didn’t bother to tell me? Oh, he’s so dead when we get home," Lilian huffed playfully, crossing her arms. The little twins giggled at her mock outrage.

Uncle Joe was supposed to be their bodyguard, hired to keep the kids safe. Clearly, he hadn’t done his job properly this time.

"Mum, we all know you wouldn’t even hurt a fly. So how exactly do you plan to punish Uncle Joe? That’s impossible!" the twins teased, bursting into laughter.

"Try me," Lilian pouted adorably, making them giggle even more.

Meanwhile, Wilson stood frozen, his mind racing as he processed the revelation of their ages. His heart pounded as the timeline pieced itself together.

"Seven years… It’s been seven years since we separated, and these kids are six. That means Lilian was pregnant while we were still married. But why didn’t she tell me? She had every reason to—she could have used this to stay in my life, to fight for what I took from her. If I really am their father, why did she stay silent?"

His gaze remained locked on the two children, his thoughts spiraling into a whirlwind of disbelief and unanswered questions.

"C'mon now, let's go home. Dad's waiting for us at home," Lilian urged the both of them as she pulled the glass door open.

“Stop right there, Lilian.”

The deep, familiar voice cut through the air, freezing her in place. She shut her eyes tightly, her breath hitching. She had expected this—his reaction the moment he saw the kids.

She heard his footsteps approaching from behind, each step sending her pulse racing. Before she could gather herself, his firm grip yanked her around to face him.

“What do you want from me, Wilson?” she snapped, her voice laced with defiance. “Let go of me. Have some respect.”

“Who. Is. Their. Father?” Wilson’s voice was sharp, demanding. He completely ignored her protest.

Lilian’s eyes darkened, her expression turning cold. “That is none of your business, Mr. Barker. We have nothing to do with each other, so take your filthy hands off me before I call the guards.”

Wilson didn’t budge. His grip tightened slightly, his jaw clenched. “I’m not letting you go until you tell me the truth, Lilian.”

The twins watched the exchange, their small faces scrunching up in disapproval. They didn’t like the way this stranger was grabbing their mother.

Wilson continued, his voice thick with accusation. “We divorced seven years ago. These kids are six. How is that possible, Lilian? Did you hide your pregnancy from me? Or—” His voice dropped, sharp and accusing. “Were you sleeping around with another man behind my back while we were still married just like the filthy slut that you are? You are such a disgrace to me!”

"Watch your tongue, Mr. Barker."

A deep, commanding voice resonated through the meeting room, silencing Wilson. All eyes turned to the man who had just entered, his sharp gaze daring anyone to challenge him.

Wilson barely had time to react before Sebastian strode forward, prying Lilian’s arm from his grip with ease. Without hesitation, Sebastian wrapped a protective arm around Lilian’s waist, pulling her close in a way that left no room for doubt.

"My wife is not a slut, Wilson. She never was," Sebastian stated firmly, his voice edged with warning. "If anyone here deserves that title, it's you, the man who couldn’t stay faithful to one woman."

His lips curled into a mocking smirk, eyes filled with contempt as he met Wilson’s stunned gaze. "So tell me, who’s the real disgrace in this room?"