Chapter 2

Just when things seemed dire, rapid footsteps echoed from down the hall.

"Mr. Gibson!" The butler rushed toward us, his voice laced with urgency. "There's trouble: the company's firewall is under a massive cyberattack. We need you to take charge now!"

The pounding stopped.

"What perfect timing for complications," Ethan muttered, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Got it. I'm on my way."

His footsteps faded, and with them, the suffocating tension.

I slumped back on the bed, taking deep, ragged breaths.

By some miracle, I was alive.

However, safety was still out of reach.

I crawled to the floor, grabbed a cup of cold water, and threw it in the face of the midwife who had passed out.

She jolted awake with a start.

I snatched a pair of scissors and pressed them against her neck, my eyes locking onto Lydia with an icy glare.

"Seems like you've forgotten who Ethan is. He's got a short fuse and won't think twice about killing!

"If he learns that three freaks were born, he'll blame you for bringing a curse into this house.

"We'll only live through this if we act like nothing's out of the ordinary!"

The midwife and Lydia shared a worried look before nodding, their hands trembling.

Without another word, they rushed out of the room.

I did not truly relax until I heard the door click shut.

However, my anxiety came rushing back when I glanced at the three little beings on the bed.

No one could ever find out about them.

I grabbed a pillow from the couch, stuffed it under my shirt, and faked still being pregnant.

Over the next few days, I kept the three pups hidden away.

They grew alarmingly fast, though.

In just a few weeks, they had turned into chubby furballs, bouncing and tumbling around.

They had even started talking.

"Mommy, I'm hungry... I want some meat," Xylon, the oldest, said, hugging my leg and looking up at me with big, innocent eyes.

I clamped a hand over his mouth, my heart racing. "Shh! Remember, you're a dog! You can't talk like us!"

Tyrone, the middle one, was not having it, his ears perking up in defiance. "We're not dogs! We're wolves!"

I gently ruffled their heads, whispering, "Wolves, humans, it doesn't matter. You only talk around me. Act like dogs with anyone else, or all of us will be in danger."

The youngest, Ray, who was always the troublemaker, tilted his head and let out a fierce little howl. "I'll bite them to keep you safe, Mommy!"

Their antics filled me with a mix of joy and sorrow. All I wished for was someone to take over as the Gibson family matriarch soon, so I could finally take my little ones home.

One day, the shock hit me like a bolt from the blue.

I had just gotten home from dinner when I realized the kids were missing. My heart skipped a beat, and I dashed out the door, not even bothering with shoes.

I searched frantically, calling their names as I went.

I was about to check the study when I caught sight of them. They were huddled around something glittering, chewing with determination.

"It's so tough!"

"Mommy said chewing on hard stuff is good for our teeth..."

It hit me then what they were destroying. It was Ethan's prized family diamond, usually kept safe in the study's display case. Even the butler would not dare lay a finger on it, yet there it was, covered in drool and scratches!

I had just managed to pry the diamond away when a voice stopped me cold.

"Chloe, what on earth are you doing in Ethan's study?"

I turned around, my heart racing. Ethan was home, and with him was Wendy Lewis, a woman with her sights set on being the next Gibson family matriarch. She was the kind who would look down on anyone and was not above dirty tricks, like that time she pushed a pregnant woman down the stairs.

Wendy's eyes locked onto the diamond and lit up with a mix of malice and thrill.

"Oh, my God! That's Ethan's most precious heirloom! You had the nerve to take it and scratch it all up!"

Ethan just stared at the diamond, his silence heavy with unspoken threats.

I could barely breathe. I bent over, bowing over and over, stammering my apologies.

"Mr. Gibson, I'm so sorry! It was an accident... I didn't mean to ruin the diamond..."

In my panic, I moved too much, and the pillow I had stuffed under my shirt for some forgotten reason chose that moment to tumble out onto the floor with a thud.

Under the table next to me, a trio of fluffy dog heads emerged.

The room went eerily quiet.

I glanced at the pillow on the ground.

Then my sight moved toward my belly, now unmistakably flat.

This was bad.

Wendy, initially taken aback, suddenly erupted into loud, mocking laughter.

Then, she said, "You aren't even pregnant!

"You're faking a pregnancy and have the nerve to let these mutts mess up Ethan's prized possession."

She whipped around, her voice sharp and cutting as she said, "Get her! And get these mongrels, too. Drag them out and toss them into the ocean!"

The bodyguard was on me in an instant, wrenching my arms behind me.

I shut my eyes tight, bracing for the end.

"Hold on." Ethan's voice cut through the tension.

Everyone froze.

He was not looking at me. He was not looking at Wendy, either.

His eyes were on the three little pups, snarling at him.

Ray even managed a defiant bark at Ethan. "Woof!"

A flicker of hope stirred in me.

In their final act, my little ones remembered my instructions and remembered to 'act the part.'

Ethan's expression turned inscrutable.

He looked shocked, yet it was as if he was piecing something together.

As my fate seemed sealed, Ethan stooped to pick up the diamond. He then casually patted each of the pups on the head, as if it were an afterthought.

"That bark was horrendous. Don't let there be a next time."

With that, he walked away.

Wendy stood there, her face a mask of disbelief.