Chapter 4: You Belong To Me

The office was dead silent. You could hear a pin drop.

Draven didn’t blink. His eyes were locked on Belle, burning into her soul. The realization was hitting him like a freight train, piece by piece. The resemblance wasn't just similar, it was identical. They were his.

"Answer me," he commanded, his voice though remains low, but already dangerous, and shaking with suppressed emotion. "Are they mine?"

Belle felt like she was suffocating. She wanted to run, to hide, to take her children and disappear forever, but she was frozen in place. She looked at his furious face, then down at the confused faces of her children.

"Mommy?" Luna tugged at her dress. "Who is he? Why is he shouting?"

Belle took a shaky breath, lifting her chin. There was no more running. "Y-Yes," she whispered, her voice cracked. "Yes, Mr. Blackwood. They are yours."

The confirmation felt almost like a slap. Draven stumbled back slightly as if physically struck. He ran a hand through his hair, his chest tightened. Five years. He had spent five years looking for her, wondering who she was, and all this time, he had not just one child—he had three!

"You..." He pointed a finger at her, his face dark with anger. "You kept them from me? For five years? You had my children and you didn't tell me?!"

"I was scared!" Belle finally found her voice, the fear turned into desperation. "I didn't know who you were! I woke up alone, confused, ashamed! I didn't know if you would want them, or if you would take them away from me! I was just trying to protect them!"

"Protect them?" Draven laughed bitterly, a harsh sound. "By lying? By making them grow up without a father? Do you know who I am? Do you know what I can give them? What they deserve?"

He turned his gaze to the children, and his expression softened just a fraction, but his eyes were still hard. He walked slowly toward them, squatting down so he could be at their level.

The triplets looked up at him, wide-eyed. They sensed the anger in the room, but they also felt a strange pull toward this man who looked just like them.

"What are your names?" Draven asked, his voice slightly hoarse.

"I'm Leo," the oldest said bravely, puffing out his chest. "I'm five."

"Aiden," said the middle one, nodding seriously.

"Luna," the little girl whispered, hiding slightly behind her brothers but peeking out with curiosity.

"Leo... Aiden... Luna..." he repeated the names, feeling a strange warmth spreading in his chest, a feeling he had never experienced before. These were his heirs. His blood, and obviously his family.

He stood up abruptly, turning back to Belle. His expression was unreadable, but the anger had shifted into something else, something intense and possessive.

"Pack your things," he ordered sharply.

"What?" Belle looked at him in panic. "Draven, please, don't take them away! I am their mother—"

"Not here," he cut her off. "We are leaving this office right now. We are going to my home. And you," he pointed at her, "are coming with us."

"But my job—"

"You aren't just an employee anymore, Belle," he said, walking over to her until there was barely an inch between them. He looked down at her, his grey eyes swirled with complex emotions. "You are the mother of my children. And I am not letting you out of my sight ever again. Not after what you pulled."

He grabbed his coat and walked to the door. "Come on now."

The ride to the Blackwood Mansion was done in complete silence. The children, sensed the heavy atmosphere, sat quietly in their car seats, looking out the windows at the passing scenery.

Belle sat in the spacious backseat of the luxury car, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. She glanced at Draven. He was staring out the window, his jaw clenched, radiating an aura of cold fury.

She knew she had messed up. She knew she should have told him sooner, but how? She was nobody, and he was Draven Blackwood. She never thought this day would come.

They arrived at a massive, secure estate surrounded by gardens. Inside, the house was huge, and modern yet too silent and cold, just like its owner.

Draven led them into a large living room. He walked to the bar and poured himself a glass of whiskey, downing it in one go to calm his nerves.

"First thing tomorrow," he said, turning around, "we do a DNA test. Officially."

"Dra—Mr. Blackwood, do you really need proof?" Belle asked softly. "Look at them."

"I need it legal," he said firmly. "I need everything in order. Because once that paper says they are mine, everything changes. Their names, their status, their future."

He walked over to her, stopping right in front of her. He looked down at her, his gaze is still intense.

"Why did you really leave, Ms... Crawford?" he asked, his voice dropping an octave. "Was it just fear? Or did you never intend for me to find out at all? Were you planning to keep them hidden forever?"

Tears welled up in her eyes. "I loved you that night, Draven . Or at least, I loved the man who was kind to me when I was broken. But when I woke up, I felt so small. So insignificant next to you. I thought... I thought you would just see me as a mistake. I thought you wouldn't care."

Draven stared at her, his heart twisted. He reached out, his hand hovered near her face, wanting to touch her, wanting to wipe away those tears, but he stopped himself.

"You were wrong," he said grimly. "I care. I care more than you can imagine." Suddenly, a small hand tugged at his trousers.

Draven looked down. It was Luna. She looked up at him with big, innocent eyes.

"Mister?" she said. "Are you really our daddy?"

Draven breath hitched. The word 'daddy' coming from her lips hit him harder than any punch. He looked at her sweet face, so much like his own, and the wall around his heart cracked.

He knelt down again, this time slowly, and nodded. His voice was no longer angry, but thick with emotion.

"Yes, baby girl," he whispered. "I think... I think I am your daddy."

"Yay!" Luna cheered and suddenly threw her small arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "Daddy! I have a daddy!"

Leo and Aiden exchanged looks and then rushed forward too, piling onto the hug. "Daddy! Daddy!"

Draven was engulfed by three small, warm bodies. He stiffened for a second, completely unused to such affection, then slowly, awkwardly, he wrapped his big arms around them, pulling them close. He buried his face in their hair, inhaling their scent, feeling a love so fierce it almost brought him to his knees.

Belle stood there, watching them, tears stream down her face. It was beautiful, but terrifying.

Draven looked up over the children's heads, his eyes locked with hers. And in that look, Belle saw it clearly. He wasn't angry anymore. He was determined. And he wasn't going to let her go.

But as he held his children, a dark thought crossed his mind. If she had hidden them once... she could try to run again. He pulled back slightly, looking at Belle with a serious expression.

"You are staying here," he stated firmly, leaving no room for argument. "All of you. Under my roof. Under my protection. And you are not leaving."

Belle's eyes widened. "Mr. Blackwood, we can't just—"

"You can, and you will," he interrupted, his voice left no doubt. "Because starting today, you belong to me. And I always protect what is mine."