Chapter 0007

•GISELLE•

“I’m sorry, Miss Sullivan, but our company is withdrawing from the Travel and Tourism in Asia Website project. We pride ourselves on working with trustworthy and reliable businesspeople. We wish you the best in your future endeavors.” Another investor in my project dropped me just like that in two days.

My twins’ surgery was yet to be confirmed, and I had to deal with losing clients and investors in my new business.

Three investors dropped out, and they didn’t give me a straight answer.

I worked so hard to get where I was with the website, and I wanted it to be successful. My heart broke when people pulled out of it without straight answers.

“Miss Sullivan—” Chloe approached me on the balcony of my hotel, and I sighed when she leaned forward with a tablet in her hand.

“Please don’t tell me I’ve lost another investor,” I groaned as I sat on the couch and covered my face with my hands.

“There are articles about you and your businesses. The journalists said you scammed the bank then made a new system to stop anyone else from hacking it. They believe you’re the one who hacked it and later covered your tracks when you got hired to secure its system.”

“That can’t be possible!” I stood up from the couch and took the tablet from her. “How could I have hacked the bank?”

“They don’t think you could’ve made all the money you have in five years with twins. Do you think we should release a statement to defend all these fabricated lies against your brand?”

“No, Chloe,” I sighed, giving her back the tablet. “If we say anything, it will be suspicious, and people will know we are trying to manage the damage. Is Hen Young still on board?”

“No,” she shrugged. She emailed you an hour ago that she’s not helping with your project. She said nothing about the articles when I asked her why she had pulled out of the collaboration. “

‘Fuck.’ I felt as if I had failed in everything I had planned to do. Hen Young was going to be my partner once I had launched the website, and I thought she would make the entire experience very interesting since she was from Asia.

“That’s not right,” I groaned as I picked up my cell phone from the counter. “Someone is trying to tarnish my name and make me lose business! Ugh!” I growled, sitting on the couch.

“You’re the best IT specialist in the world, Miss Sullivan. I know you’ll find the people who did this and make them pay for the damage they have done.”

“Thank you, Chloe. Is there any information about my kids? I haven’t been with them since morning.”

“Oh, yeah. I wanted to tell you that Mr. Blackwood is with them.”

“Again?” I scoffed. “What does he want?”

“I’m sure he means no harm, ma’am. Maybe he will save the twins even though you’re not willing to grant him and Octavia custody of the twins.”

“If he wants me to give up my twins so he can look after them with Octavia, he must bury me alive. It won’t happen.” I took my car keys and cell phone from the counter.

“He’s the only one who has the same DNA match with the twins.”

“Don’t you think I know that, Chloe? Noah humiliated me and hurt me when he ordered me to have an abortion for a pregnancy we both planned. He wasn’t even there when I struggled with my kids for an entire year to ask me for custody. That would be over my dead body.”

“He’s their father, ma’am. So, I hope you will reach a common ground with him so he will save the twins by donating his stem cells. They have little time left on their side.”

“Make a post and tell them I’ll pay five million dollars for anyone who has the same HLA profile match with my twins and can donate their stem cells.”

“Ma’am?” Chloe called behind me, but I was already heading out.

I got into my car and drove to the hospital, huffing and hoping Noah didn’t come with Octavia to see the twins.

When I got there and found him alone in the hospital room with the twins, I felt relieved, but I headed toward them, still wondering what Noah hoped he would achieve by getting close to my children when he didn’t want them.

“Mommy!” Aurora and Adrian squealed when they saw me walking inside the room. “You’re back!”

“Hey guys, did you rest?” I smiled, avoiding looking at Noah. He disgusted me.

“Daddy brought us breakfast and read us a story when we woke up. He’s the best daddy in the world!” Adrian answered, giggling.

“Oh, that’s sweet of him. Did he tell you when he’s going to work?” I asked as I kissed them both on their foreheads.

“Giselle,” Noah scoffed. “I’m right here.”

“Mommy wants to have a word with Daddy, okay? I’ll be back soon.”

“Are you mad, Mommy? Daddy didn’t mean to make you angry. He only brought us food,” Adrian answered when I pulled away from them.

“What? No, baby. I’m not mad. I’m okay with your daddy bringing you breakfast. He did well.” I glanced at Noah and pointed to the door.

He got up and kissed the kids before we walked out to talk outside the door.

“What are you doing here?”

“I want to save them, Giselle. I expect nothing from you but a relationship with them. They are my kids, and I can’t imagine my life without them anymore.”

“I thought you weren’t willing to save their lives unless I gave you custody of them.”

“I’ve changed—” Before Noah could finish his sentence, there was a group of people heading toward us with cameras, and when the journalist in front asked to ask me a few questions, Noah pulled me into the medicine storage room and closed the door.

“Gosh, I don’t know how they found me.”

“I saw the articles, and I wanted to make you a deal.” He looked at me, his face a few inches from mine while my back was against the door.

“Make me a deal?”

“I can make this go away if you agree I donate my stem cells for the twins and sign a prenuptial agreement with me. I’ll tell the press that this was a stall for our engagement.”