Semua Bab The CEO's Regret: Mommy's Return With Secret Triplets: Bab 1 - Bab 10

Sterling Enterprises was a massive glass tower that scraped the sky. Five years ago, Zara wouldn't have been allowed through the front doors. Today, the security guards practically tripped over themselves to scan her VIP pass.She wore a tailored crimson suit that screamed power and a pair of black stilettos that clicked sharply against the marble floors. Every step felt like a drumbeat.Thwack. Thwack. Thwack."They are waiting for us on the top floor, Ms. Vance," Chloe whispered, adjusting her glasses as they stepped into the private executive elevator.Zara didn't say a word. She just watched the floor numbers tick upward. 48. 49. 50. Her stomach tied itself into a tight knot, but her face remained a perfect, unreadable mask. She had practiced this moment in the mirror a thousand times over the years. She just never thought it would happen today.The elevator doors slid open with a soft ding.They walked down a long, quiet hallway lined with expensive modern art. At the end of the

The moment the elevator doors closed, cutting off Lucian's intense stare, Zara let out a breath she felt like she had been holding for five years.Her knees actually shook. She leaned back against the cool metal wall of the elevator and closed her eyes. The faint smell of his cedarwood cologne still lingered in her mind. It made her chest ache, a phantom pain from a past she had tried so hard to bury."Ms. Vance?" Chloe asked softly, stepping into the elevator behind her. "Are you alright? That was... intense."Zara's eyes snapped open. The vulnerability vanished, replaced instantly by the cold, calculating CEO."I am fine, Chloe. Mr. Sterling just needed a reminder of who holds the power in this deal," Zara said, adjusting her crimson blazer. "Have the legal team draft the preliminary contracts. Make the terms aggressive."Thirty minutes later, the black SUV pulled up to the private underground entrance of the Grand Royale Hotel. Zara had rented the entire top-floor penthouse for the

Lucian was so close that Zara could feel the heat radiating off his chest. His dark eyes searched her face, hungry for a crack in her icy armor.What exactly are you hiding up there, Zara?For a split second, panic fluttered in her throat. Did he know? Could he hear the phantom laughter of Mia or see the genius in Liam's code?But Zara was no longer a frightened girl. She was a queen who had built her empire from the dirt. She let out a soft, mocking laugh that cut through the heavy tension like a knife."Hiding?" Zara stepped back, putting a cold, professional distance between them. She looked him up and down with absolute boredom. "Lucian, you flatter yourself. I am a billionaire with enemies across three continents. I have military grade security because my life is valuable. Not because I am hiding something from you."Lucian's jaw clenched so hard she thought his teeth might crack. He hated that she wasn't intimidated. He hated that she was looking at him like he was nothing more

The silence in the penthouse was thick enough to choke on. Lucian stood like a statue sculpted from pure rage, the tiny beige jacket dangling from his massive hand. His dark eyes darted between Zara's pale face and Julian's protective stance. "I asked you a question, Zara," Lucian's voice was a lethal whisper. "Whose is this?" Panic screamed in Zara's mind. Leo. He's holding Leo's jacket. If Lucian pushed past them and opened the bedroom doors down the hall, he would find all three of his children fast asleep. The secret she had protected for five years would be destroyed in five seconds. But Zara Vance didn't survive the streets to freeze in a hotel room. She forced the terror deep down and replaced it with pure, unadulterated ice. She stepped out from behind Julian, her heels sinking into the plush carpet. She walked right up to Lucian, grabbed the tiny jacket from his hand, and smoothed out the fabric with a calm, steady touch. "It belongs to Julian's nephew," Zara lied smoot

The word hung in the air like a live grenade. Mommy. Zara's breath hitched. For a fraction of a second, the powerful, untouchable CEO vanished, and she was just a terrified mother whose greatest secret had been dragged into the light. Julian reacted instantly. He stepped squarely in front of Zara, shielding her from Lucian's intense, burning gaze. "Unlock this door right now, Sterling," Julian demanded, his voice dropping to a dangerous, icy register. "Or I will break it down and then press charges for false imprisonment." Lucian didn't even blink at the threat. He slowly walked around the massive mahogany table, his eyes fixed entirely on Zara, ignoring Julian as if he were nothing more than a piece of furniture. "Julian Pierce doesn't have a sister," Lucian said softly, his voice echoing in the soundproof room. "Which means he doesn't have a nephew. But what he does have is a very talented driver who picked up three four-year-old children from the private airport two days ago.