Daddy?

The night after meeting Serena, William hadn’t slept. He had paced his penthouse like a caged animal. City lights burned far below, but his mind was somewhere else.

Years ago, there had been a woman on her knees, begging for his forgiveness. He could still see the way her deep brown eyes spilled with unstoppable tears, and even the trembling of her body was something he could almost still feel on his skin.

Selena and Serena.

Alike, but not the same.

The comparison was too tangled for words, yet it clung to him. His mind refused to let go of either woman.

"I’m losing my mind, thinking about that Serpentine girl!" William muttered under his breath. "No, this isn’t about attraction! And it’s not because I haven’t gotten over Selena!"

Raking a hand through his hair again, William exhaled sharply and turned back toward the sprawling streets below. The city buzzes in a constant hum, like his mind is constantly working.

Without another thought, he reached for the phone resting on the table nearby. He called his trusted contact with slightly squinted eyes.

"Dig deeper into the Serpentine girl!" he ordered coldly. "I want her entire background, every move she’s made in the last five years, and every single person she’s close to!"

["That won’t be easy. The Serpentines are masters at controlling what gets out. They—"]

"I don’t care!" William cut him off, his tone razor. "Two days... I want you working around the clock if you have to!"

["And if I already knew everything about that woman, what would you do? Ignore your fiancée just because she looks too much like your late ex-wife?"]

"I’m not—"

["Careful, William."] The interruption was sharp, weighted with meaning. ["I know how much you hate Selena, but that could easily turn into a weapon against you. As your friend, I’m reminding you, your engagement ceremony is less than a week away."]

"Damn it!"

William cut the call. His jaw tightened. His chest rose and fell with shallow, heated breaths. The last words he’d heard replayed in his head like a taunt he couldn’t shake.

Serena Victoria Serpentine.

Why did her name echo in his mind like a ghost refusing to rest? He couldn’t push it away. Couldn’t forget it. The thought of her kept pulling him deeper, stirring a curiosity he didn’t want to admit.

***

"Mommy! Catch!"

While William simmered in frustration, Serena was in a very different world. She was laughing under the late afternoon sun with her three children at the park.

A smile tugged at her lips as the triplets waited for the ball she was about to throw. Her hair, usually tied up for formal events, now cascaded freely down her back. The breeze caught each strand, making her look effortlessly younger. Especially in the simple blue T-shirt and denim shorts she’d chosen for the day.

"Caelen!" Serena called to her eldest. Caelric and Caelia, still waiting their turn, cheered loudly for their brother.

"I got it!" Caelen grinned, holding the ball high in his small hands. His gray eyes, so unlike his mother’s, flicked between his siblings before his throw went wide, sending the ball bouncing toward a bench at the far end of the park.

"Aw, man!" Caelric groaned, earning a soft chuckle from Serena.

"It’s okay, sweetie. Mommy will get it."

Caelen followed his mother to take responsibility. The other two stayed behind, watching from a distance. Until Caelia’s attention was stolen by a delicate butterfly fluttering toward her.

"Look! It’s so cute!" she squealed, making Caelric turn to see.

"You like it?"

"Of course! I love it!"

Just as Caelia’s tiny fingers were about to graze the butterfly’s wings, it darted away. Her lips turned downward in an instant, the sparkle in her eyes trembling into disappointment.

"Don’t worry, Caelia." Caelric stepped forward and wrapped his little sister in a quick hug. "I’ll get that butterfly for you!"

"Really?"

"Just wait here!"

Before his little sister could say a word, Caelric had already taken off running. The bodyguards watching from a distance sprang into action trying to keep up with him, but his small figure soon vanished among the growing crowd in the park.

"Ouch!"

"Watch it, kid!" An old man turned sharply, his eyes narrowing as they locked onto the boy standing before him. He jabbed a finger toward the shattered lollipops from his cart.

"S–sorry...." Caelric blurted, bowing his head. His tiny hands clasped together, trying to still the tremor running through him.

"Use your eyes! Where are your parents? You’ve cost me a fortune!"

"So–sorry, sir. I—"

"Hey, what’s going on here?"

At the sound of another voice, Caelric’s head snapped up. His gray eyes locked on a tall man whose gaze mirrored his own. He almost forgot to blink, especially when he felt a warm, calming hand resting on his back.

"I’ll cover all the damages," the man said, pulling out a few bills.

"Who are you? If you’re just some stranger sticking up for him, don’t bother. A troublemaker like this doesn’t deserve defending!"

"My mommy says I’m not a troublemaker!" Caelric finally piped up, his brows knitting together.

The man beside him smiled faintly at that. He extended the money again while draping his arm over the boy’s shoulders.

"He’s my son! So let me pay for the damages!"

Caelric’s head tilted upward, his eyes going wide. He opened his mouth to speak, but the lollipop vendor cut in first.

"Your son?"

"Can’t you see we’ve got the same eye color?"

The vendor fell silent, studying them carefully. "Fine! But next time, teach your son to watch where he’s going in a crowd!"

Nodding, the man took Caelric’s hand and led him away after offering another apology. Caelric glanced down at the hand holding his own. It was so much larger, so different from his mother's or his grandfather’s grip. And strangely enough, there was a feeling that he had never felt before.

"Are you my daddy?"