MasukShe pulled me carefully into her arms and for a few precious seconds, I was not a mother, I was not a woman balancing danger and business and healing.I was simply her daughter.“I missed you,” I whispered.“I know.” She replied When she pulled back, she wiped my tears with both thumbs. Then she looked at the babies and her whole face changed.They softened and opened becoming something only grandmothers seem able to become.“Oh…”She took Mira first, then Elian. Then cried harder than I had.“They’re beautiful.”“They are loud,” Mason said.She looked up sharply. “Then they are healthy.”Andre tugged her sleeve. “And me?”She gasped dramatically.“And you are the most handsome, brave, responsible older brother in the world.”He accepted this instantly.“Okay.”I turned slowly toward Mason. “You did this.”He adjusted his cuff.“Yes.”“You called her.” I continued “Yes.”“You arranged travel.” I kept on going “Yes.”“And you kept it from me.”“Yes.” He answered I narrowed my eyes.
Lucas almost choked on his food. Andre looked outraged.“Do not drop babies!” Andre cautioned in his own way“I had no intention of.” I answered Letty smiled again and in that moment, I made a promise to myself.No matter who moved next, no matter what enemy waited.No matter what darkness still lingered beyond these walls, they would not touch this.They would not corrupt this peace and they would not steal from my children what I had stolen from me because before, I had fought for survival but now, I would fight for something far more dangerous.Something worth dying for.Family.Mira stretched in my arms and yawned and Elian yawned once and was asleep again. Andre heaved himself up and against me, his posture a statement of pride. Letty observed us with sleepy eyes that held more than contentment: Ownership.And for the first time in ages, I was not thinking of the next move, I was thinking of savoring this second for as long as I possibly could because the storm always returns, a
Lucas burst out laughing and I tried to suppress a grin. "Because we got lucky." I told him.Andre pondered this for a moment before turning back to the bassinets. "They look sleepy." "They are." I answered He pointed at our daughter. "She look like Mama. Angry." He then looked at our son. "He looks like you. Nice." Andre turned back, looking at me with complete sincerity. "So girl like Mama and boy like you?" Lucas had to bite his lip and turn his head away. I closed my eyes briefly. "That is a dangerous assumption to make, Andre." "I'm smart." Andre said, puffing his chest out. "Yes, you are." He peered back at the bassinets again and sniffed. “ They smell funny,” he said.This time I couldn't hold it back and gave a small laugh. “ yes they do”"Are they mine?" Andre asked.The question made my throat tight. I swallowed and said softly. "They are ours." He pondered this for a moment before nodding, as if it was the most logical thing in the world. "Okay." And that was all
They brought the boy first, swaddled in a blanket, his face bright red with protest. Then the girl, smaller, her cry louder and fiercer, absolutely furious at the world.They laid them both on my chest. They were warm, small and real. I stared down at them, dumbfounded.My son's tiny hand was curled near his cheek and my daughter kicked a tiny foot under the blanket, demanding space."Oh..."That was all I could manage. One broken sigh, one word that was far too small for how I felt. How could you possibly describe meeting two human beings whose hearts already felt known before your own mind had ever met them?Mason stood by the bed, completely silent. I looked up at him as his eyes were wet. His mouth hung slightly open, as if he had forgotten how to form words.I had never seen him like this. Never. He reached out a trembling finger and touched our son's cheek. Then he brushed against our daughter's tiny hand."She's holding on to me," he whispered."She's already assessing weakness
He answered everything while keeping one hand on me. Like if he let go, something terrible might happen.They settled me into a private room with soft lights, monitors and sterile sheets. The quiet hum of machines measuring things I did not care about.The doctors and nurses in the room checked things, explained things and prepared things.A nurse spoke gently. The doctor smiled reassuringly. Someone adjusted my pillow and someone else asked if I wanted ice but all of it felt distant.Muted.Like it belonged to another room because between every calm moment…Pain returned and with each wave, something primal took over.It was not panic, it was not fear, but focus. I was no longer thinking about Rosa.Or the company.Or betrayal.Or strategy.I was thinking about breathing, about surviving the next minute, about meeting the child I had carried through chaos.Mason stood beside the bed, his hand in mine. He was too still and too pale.“You look terrible,” I told him.“I look terrible?” H
Letty pov“Lucas!” he called sharply.The force in Mason’s voice cut through the apartment like thunder.It echoed off the walls, strong and commanding, the kind of voice that made people move before they even thought about it.Not long after we left the country, Mason had already sent word for Lucas to join us abroad.At the time, I did not fully understand why he moved so quickly. I thought perhaps it was only caution.Another one of Mason’s habits.He never waited for problems to appear before preparing for them. He arranged things before anyone else even realized they might be needed. It was one of the reasons he always seemed calm when others were overwhelmed.He had known from the beginning that this trip would not be short. What was first presented as a vacation had always been something more carefully planned than that. He knew I would need time away from the company. Time away from the people watching us. Time away from the tension that had followed us for months.And once the
Letty’s POVDays passed, slow and heavy, like the air before a storm that refused to break.Rosa’s eyes were everywhere.If she was not physically present, I felt her through the walls, through the way the maids suddenly paused when I walked past, through the way conversations softened or stopped t
Letty’s POVIt was finally the day of the big event.I woke up before dawn, my body already tired but my mind sharp and alert. My eyes opened even before the alarm rang. For a moment, I lay still, staring at the ceiling, listening to the quiet of the house. There were no footsteps, no voices. Just
I melted into him, my hands sliding up his chest to grip his shoulders as the kiss grew more passionate. With the waltz forgotten, our bodies moved instinctively, grinding against each other in the dim light of the unfinished gallery. His fingers tangled in my hair, tilting my head back to expose m
Letty’s POVThe atmosphere at the Wells mansion was changing, slowly but clearly.It was no longer just heavy.It was getting tense and thick.Like the air before a storm that everyone could feel but no one wanted to talk about.I had just ended a call with my assistant when I let out a long breath







