Chapter 4: The Engagement Trap

~ Ivy ~

Ivy froze in place, staring through the peephole.

Tessa.

She looked flawless—even at midnight. Her silk robe clung effortlessly, her eyes alert despite the late hour, lips painted a soft shade of menace.

“Ivy,” she called softly, “we need to talk.”

No knock. No smile. Just those six words, spoken with eerie calm.

Ivy opened the door a crack, her body tense. “It’s late.”

Tessa raised an eyebrow. “That’s never stopped secrets before.”

Ivy blinked. “Excuse me?”

Tessa tilted her head. “Can I come in?”

Something inside Ivy screamed no, but her curiosity overpowered it. She stepped back.

Tessa sauntered in, her perfume trailing behind her like a warning. She looked around, not bothering to hide her judgment.

“I always imagined you living somewhere... brighter,” she said, running her fingers across the bookshelf.

“I imagined you being less fake,” Ivy snapped back.

Tessa turned with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Touché.”

“What do you want, Tessa?”

“I want the truth,” she said simply. “The one you’ve been avoiding.”

Ivy’s heart skipped.

Tessa sank onto the couch, legs crossed like she had all night. “You slept with Aiden.”

The silence between them thickened.

“I—what?” Ivy said, too quickly.

Tessa tilted her head. “You think I don’t know? The tension at that engagement dinner was palpable. And don’t forget—Aiden vanishes for weeks, then shows up suddenly at my party… looking like he’s seen a ghost. That ghost was you.”

Ivy’s mouth went dry. “Tessa, I—”

“Save it,” she interrupted. “I’m not here for apologies. I’m here for damage control.”

Ivy frowned. “Damage control?”

Tessa leaned forward. “Do you think this family doesn’t clean up its own messes? Do you really believe you can hide a King heir without consequences?”

Blood drained from Ivy’s face. “What?”

“Oh yes,” Tessa whispered. “I know. I saw the clinic file. My father sits on the hospital board.”

“You invaded my medical privacy?” Ivy whispered, horrified.

“Don’t act surprised,” Tessa snapped. “You’re not some innocent bystander, Ivy. You’re carrying leverage. The question is, what are you going to do with it?”

Ivy stumbled back a step. “You think I want something from you?”

“I think,” Tessa said, rising to her feet, “that you’re dangerously naive. And I’m here to fix that. Keep quiet. Stay away from Ethan. And do not make a scene.”

“You’re protecting him,” Ivy said, voice cracking.

“I’m protecting my future,” Tessa corrected. “And you’d be wise to protect yours too.”

She moved to the door.

“Why are you marrying him if you know what he is?” Ivy asked.

Tessa turned her head. “Because love doesn’t build empires. Loyalty does.”

And with that, she vanished into the night.

---

~ Aiden ~

Aiden watched the skyline from his penthouse balcony, the city humming below him like a living beast.

His phone lit up beside him with an encrypted text:

Tessa met with Ivy. She knows everything.

He didn’t react, but the bourbon in his hand stilled.

He’d underestimated Tessa.

And now everything was unraveling faster than he could contain.

He went inside, locked the balcony door, and opened a file his assistant had left on the table.

Inside: records, surveillance footage, hospital forms. Ivy’s name scrawled across every line.

And at the bottom, in bold letters:

Potential twin pregnancy — elevated hCG levels.

Aiden leaned back, the air knocked from his lungs.

Twins.

He wasn’t just a father—he was the father of two unborn heirs to the King legacy.

And Ethan still had no idea.

Not yet.

His phone buzzed again. A different message this time.

We found something. Ethan’s off-shore account—unregistered transactions. Want the files?

Aiden stared at the screen, his mind racing.

If Ethan was hiding money… there had to be a reason.

And reasons meant leverage.

He typed back: Send everything. Tonight.

---

~ Ivy ~

Ivy stood in front of the mirror, her hand resting on her stomach.

Twins.

The word still echoed in her mind like a storm she couldn’t outrun.

She hadn't even had the ultrasound yet, but the bloodwork told the story loud and clear. Two lives. Two heartbeats. Two secrets.

She tried to steady her breathing.

Then her phone rang.

Aiden.

She ignored it.

It rang again.

She picked up on the third try, her voice strained. “What?”

“You need to meet me,” he said.

“I have nothing more to say to you.”

His voice darkened. “It’s not about you. It’s about them.”

Ivy froze.

“I know about the twins,” Aiden added.

Her knees buckled. “How—?”

“I told you. I have people. And I need you to listen, Ivy. Things are worse than you think.”

“I’m not getting dragged into your family’s madness—”

“You already are,” he said coldly. “And if you don’t come tonight, Ethan will find out everything before the morning.”

The line went dead.

Ivy stared at the screen, heart racing.

---

Hours later, Ivy arrived at Aiden’s office in the high-rise KingCorp building. Security didn’t even question her—they were clearly expecting her.

Aiden stood behind a massive desk, sleeves rolled up, tie undone. He looked… exhausted.

“Sit,” he said.

She didn’t.

“What do you want from me?”

He slid a folder across the desk.

She picked it up hesitantly and opened it.

Her breath caught.

Photos. Bank statements. Foreign account transfers. Names she didn’t recognize.

“What is this?”

“Proof,” Aiden said. “That Ethan’s been laundering money from KingCorp through offshore accounts. Millions.”

Ivy’s mouth opened. “Why would he—?”

“Because he’s planning something. And he doesn’t want the board—or the family—knowing about it.”

She looked up. “You think he’s trying to take over the company?”

Aiden’s jaw clenched. “I know he is.”

Ivy stared at the papers, then at Aiden. “Why are you showing me this?”

“Because you’re not just a liability anymore. You’re an asset.”

She laughed bitterly. “You mean your children are.”

Aiden didn’t deny it.

“I can protect you,” he said. “But I need your silence… and your trust.”

Ivy shook her head. “I don’t trust anyone in your family.”

Aiden leaned in. “Then trust this: if Ethan finds out about the twins before I can stop him, he’ll do whatever it takes to claim them.”

Her heart thudded.

“I would never let that happen—”

“Wouldn’t you?” Aiden said, voice low. “Because all it takes is one signature. One legal petition. And he’ll have every lawyer in the state crawling over your doorstep.”

“I won’t let him,” she whispered.

“Then work with me.”

The room fell silent.

Outside the window, the city flickered like stars ready to burn out.

“I need time,” Ivy said.

“You don’t have much.”

Then Aiden opened a drawer and pulled out a silver envelope.

He slid it across the desk.

She frowned. “What is this?”

He didn’t answer.

She opened it.

Inside was a photograph.

A woman. Mid-thirties. Dark hair. Piercing eyes. Holding a newborn.

On the back, handwritten words:

"Not everything that runs in your bloodline is yours alone."

Ivy looked up. “Who is she?”

Aiden’s face darkened.

“She’s our mother.”