Elona’s cries of pain echoed through their villa, her fingers crushing Kian’s hand in an iron grip. He winced but didn’t dare complain.“Just a little more, love. You’re almost there,” he whispered, brushing damp hair from her forehead. Aria, no, Elona, screamed as one final push sent new life into the world. A baby’s wail cut through the air, and then another. Twins. A beautiful baby boy and a delicate baby girl.Kian’s throat tightened as he held them for the first time. His entire life, he had never feared anything. Not war. Not death. Not even exile. But now, holding these tiny, fragile lives, he was afraid. Afraid of losing them. Afraid of not being enough.Yet when Elona smiled up at him, exhausted but radiant, all his fears melted away. “You’re a father, Kian,” she whispered. He pressed a trembling kiss to her forehead. “And you’re a mother. The strongest, most incredible mother.”The nurse interrupted their moment. “What will you name them?” Elona looked at her newborns, eyes
Alaric Royale sat in his dimly lit study, a heavy glass of whiskey untouched in his hand. One year. It had been a full year since the accident that took his wife's memories, since Elona had supposedly changed.But something was wrong. He had tried everything. He had tried touching her. Tried sleeping with her. Tried desiring her. Yet every time he reached for his wife, the woman who bore his triplets, his body failed him. Impotent. The word tasted like ash in his mouth.He had never struggled in this aspect before. And yet, with Elona, it was as if a wall had risen inside him, an impenetrable barrier that rejected her very existence. Or rather… rejected her touch.At first, he thought it was just stress. The accident. The changes in her personality. The way she no longer smelled like home. Then came the truth, cold, harsh, and undeniable.Master Fu, the divine doctor, had examined him. "Your condition is a sequela of the poison you consumed over a year ago," Master Fu had said with a
The private jet touched down on the tarmac of Velmorah, its engines whirring to a slow stop. The triplets, Arlyle, Artie, and Allie, peered through the windows, their sharp eyes taking in the vast, unfamiliar landscape before them.At six years old, they were no ordinary children. Raised under the tutelage of Master Fu, they were frighteningly intelligent, observant, and highly skilled for their age. But today was not about strategy. Today was about reunion.As soon as the jet's doors opened, the triplets were the first to rush down, their small feet pounding against the ground as they scanned the faces waiting for them. And then they saw her.Standing beside a tall, handsome man with striking silver hair and sharp blue eyes, she looked different. Her hair was slightly longer. Her posture was more regal, more confident. And her eyes, though filled with warmth, held no recognition."Mommy!" Allie was the first to shout, her voice filled with joy and longing. Arlyle and Artie followed,
The Vortigen Grand Villa was a masterpiece of elegance and history, its towering structure standing against the fading sunlight. As the convoy of sleek black cars pulled into the grand estate, the triplets, Arlyle, Artie, and Allie, bounced with excitement in the backseat, their six-year-old minds racing with anticipation."Do you think they’ll remember us?" Artie asked, his wide silver eyes filled with curiosity. "They’re babies, dummy," Allie scoffed, fixing her twin brother with a playful glare. "Of course they won’t remember us. But they will love us!"Arlyle, the eldest by minutes, smiled. "Mom said they look like us. Maybe they’ll recognize us in a way." The moment the doors swung open, the triplets bolted from the car, their little feet barely touching the ground as they rushed toward the grand entrance.Inside, the villa was warm and inviting, and in the center of the grand hall, nestled in a beautifully carved wooden cradle, were the tiny figures they had been dying to see. E
The study remained silent for a moment, the weight of their conversation settling into the air like mist before dawn. Master Fu, ever the tactician, tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of his chair, deep in thought."Before we move forward," he finally said, "we must acknowledge the real threat, the imposter posing as Elona Royale." The triplets exchanged looks, their youthful faces alight with curiosity and a touch of mischief."Who is she, really?" Allie asked, tilting her head. "More importantly," Artie added, "how did she fool everyone?" Arlyle’s brows furrowed. "And what happens when she finds out Mom’s alive?" At this, Master Fu's sharp gaze landed on Aria. "That’s exactly why we need to be careful."Aria exhaled slowly, tightening her grip on Kian’s hand. "I know she’s dangerous," she admitted. "Anyone who can manipulate an entire empire without being suspected for over a year isn’t just lucky, she’s skilled."Master Fu nodded. "We need to uncover her true identity, but m
The letter had been sent. Alaric paced the grand study of the Royale estate, his jaw clenched, his fingers twitching with restless energy. His heart pounded in his chest, an unfamiliar sensation clawing at his insides.Anxiety. For the first time in his life, he was afraid. What if she didn’t come back? No. That wasn’t an option. Elona, or Aria as she was now known was his wife, the mother of his children. He had wronged her, yes, but fate had given him a second chance. She would come back. She had to.A knock echoed through the room, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Come in," he ordered. The door opened, and his assistant stepped inside, his face carefully blank."Mr Royale, " the assistant said hesitantly. "The response has arrived." Alaric stilled. His throat tightened. His heart drummed against his ribs as he held out his hand.The assistant hesitated before passing him the letter. "You should prepare yourself, Chairman Royale." Alaric didn’t like the sound of that. His fingers
Maribel had always prided herself on her ability to read people. It was how she had survived this long, how she had secured the life of luxury that should have never been hers. But lately, something had shifted.Alaric had been watching her differently. Not with the same warmth or admiration. Not even with suspicion. No, this was something far more unsettling. He was studying her. Calculating.It made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle, but she couldn’t let it show. She had worked too hard to let paranoia ruin everything.Still, as she stepped into the dining hall that morning, she forced her best smile onto her face, eyes scanning Alaric carefully as he sipped his coffee.He looked relaxed, his posture at ease, too at ease. For a moment, she hesitated. Then, as if sensing her hesitation, he glanced up at her with a small smile. "Good morning, my love."Maribel’s stomach twisted, but she returned the smile effortlessly. "Good morning, darling," she purred, sliding into the seat
Forty-Eight Hours Later......Alaric Royale sat behind his massive oak desk, his fingers rhythmically tapping against the polished surface. The clock on the wall ticked steadily, but his mind was anything but calm.Forty-eight hours had passed. A whole two days since he had Maribel’s blood drawn under the guise of a routine check-up. Any minute now, he knew he'd be drawing closer to the truth.A soft ding echoed in the quiet office and his phone screen lit up with a message from Dr. Hastings: "The results are ready. You’ll need to see this in person."Alaric’s grip on his phone tightened. He rose from his chair, grabbing his coat with a sharp motion before striding out. Jimmy, who had been standing nearby, immediately fell in step beside him. “Sir?” Jimmy inquired, softly.“We’re going to Hastings’ clinic.” Alaric's response was clipped. Jimmy felt the suppressed rage and shuddered inwardly. Jimmy needed no further explanation. His sharp gaze darkened as he nodded. “Understood.”Dr. H
The cold evening air bit at Alaric’s skin as he pulled up to the gates of his villa. His mind was still reeling from his conversation with Senior Royale. The curse. The imposter. His mistakes.He had wasted over a year. A year living under the same roof as a fraud while his real wife was out there, alone. No. In the hands of another man. She didn't have her memories and that made her vulnerable. His grip on the steering wheel tightened. Never again. He will set things right. This was his vow to himself. As his car rolled to a stop, his sharp eyes caught sight of two figures standing near the gate. Edward Callahan. Tania. A frown settled on his face. What were they doing here? Hadn’t they just returned from abroad?Alaric stepped out of his car, his powerful frame cutting through the dim light of the villa’s entrance. The moment Edward spotted him, the man’s piercing blue eyes locked onto his like a predator finally finding its prey.Tania, on the other hand, looked livid, arms cross
Alaric sat in his dimly lit study, the ticking of the antique clock grating on his already frayed nerves. His fingers drummed against the polished wood of his desk, his mind replaying a detail that had been gnawing at him for days.Elona was five months pregnant when she arrived in Country M with Kian. That was nine months ago. He clenched his jaw. With the right calculations, she must have given birth. So, where was the baby? Or… babies, since Elona had a history of giving birth to multiples? Since he now knew the truth, it was obvious that he was the father. A shiver ran down his spine when the possibility of Kian claiming them as his flickered in his mind. His breath turned shallow, his obsessive compulsive need for order clashing violently with the messy reality he had allowed to unfold. He was a man who thrived on control, everything in its rightful place, everything accounted for.But this? This was chaos. An unprecedented kind of chaos. The real Elona was out there, with anot
Meanwhile, in Velmorah, Aria decided not to worry about Alaric's threats or the threats that loomed in the dark. She did not even want to deal with the imposter who stole her identity. For her, the past life she once had, did not matter at all. What really mattered were her children, the flesh of her flesh. Now that they had reconnected, she felt whole again.Aria sat in the warmth of her private study, her delicate fingers curled around a porcelain teacup as she watched the triplets animatedly recount stories from their past. The soft glow of lanterns cast flickering shadows on the walls, but the only thing that held her attention was the three little geniuses before her.She had barely known them for a short while, yet it felt as though her soul had recognized them long before her mind had. They were the missing piece of her heart, the heartbeat she didn’t even know she had lost.The triplets took turns to help her understand the life they shared before she was hurt whilst accompany
The prison wardens office swirled with a suffocating tension. The revelation hand a certain ominous feeling that was pressing down on everyone in the room. The forensic team stood frozen, the results on their screen a glaring contradiction to what had been believed for over a year.“This… this isn’t possible,” the warden stammered, his face turning ashen. His fingers trembled as he clutched the paper detailing the fingerprint results. Feeling the colad and fore doing aura emanating from the Royale grandfather and grandson, his knees nearly buckled. Alaric sat across from him, and his cold, calculating gaze drilling into the man like a sharpened blade. His posture was deceptively relaxed, but his aura was suffocating. Even the most hardened officers in the room dared not meet his eyes. “Explain,” Alaric said, his voice dangerously quiet.The forensic specialist cleared his throat, stepping forward. “Sir, according to our records, this woman”, he pointed to the prison cell's current oc
Aria paced the length of the study, her fingers curled into tight fists. The weight of the letter still lingered in her mind, but it wasn't fear that consumed her now, it was frustration."Who does he think he is?" she muttered, her voice sharp with anger. "He had an imposter by his side for a year, and now he thinks he can summon me like I owe him an explanation?"Kian leaned against the desk, his arms crossed. "Alaric is a desperate man, Aria. The fact that he’s finally figured out that the woman beside him isn’t you means he’s digging deeper. We need to be ahead of him." Aria exhaled sharply. "I don’t care about what he figures out. I care about keeping my children out of this mess."Master Fu, who had been silent until now, set down a document on the table. "We might not have the luxury of staying out of it anymore. Our sources have confirmed something troubling, Maribel is not working alone. There's someone orchestrating this deception from the shadows."Aria stilled. "What do yo
The days that followed were quiet but suffocating. The peacefulness of the Vortigen Grand Villa, which had once been a refuge, now felt more like a gilded cage. Aria's thoughts often wandered back to the time before her memories had been taken. Before she had learned the truth about her life, about Alaric, and about the world she had once belonged to. But those days seemed like a distant dream now.She focused on the present, on her children, and on the promise she had made to Kian. They would not let the past destroy what they had built. However, the threat of Alaric’s return still loomed over them like a dark cloud. The truth was out there, and it was only a matter of time before it reached him.Kian, ever the protector, was especially vigilant. He spent long hours studying the files and information Master Fu had gathered about Alaric’s movements, searching for any sign of weakness, anything that would give them an edge. He wasn’t about to let Aria slip through his fingers again. F
The ominous, foreboding feeling that lingered over Vortigen Grand Villa had settled into a tense silence. Master Fu paced slowly in the study, deep in thought, while Kian and Aria sat with the triplets, who were now playfully rolling around on the rug. Their laughter seemed like a distant melody, a stark contrast to the storm brewing on the horizon.Aria absentmindedly played with Allie’s hair, the feel of her daughter’s soft curls grounding her, anchoring her to the present, to the family she had found in Kian and these beautiful children. She had made her decision. The past, with all its pain and lies, was behind her.But even as she tried to savor this peace, her thoughts kept drifting to the woman who had taken her place in Alaric’s life. The imposter.A gnawing unease began to grow inside her, the certainty of what had been done to her, what had been done to the triplets. It was a heavy feeling, one she couldn’t shake. Kian noticed her growing quiet and placed his hand gently on
The Vortigen Grand Villa was silent, tension swirling around the whole place. Master Fu sat at the grand study’s desk, his fingers drumming lightly against the polished mahogany surface. The triplets sat on the plush couch with Kian and Aria, their small faces serious as they waited.In his hands, Master Fu held the DNA analysis results, sent directly from Alaric himself, who had unknowingly delivered the truth into their hands.The envelope was already opened, the paper slightly crumpled from his grip. He had read the contents twice, yet the the truth was a bittersweet revelation. Although he expected it, Aria had no recollection of her past. But it was also good for the triplets to know that they were right.Aria took a slow breath, her fingers entwined with Kian’s. Although she had braced herself, though she had always felt an inexplicable connection to the triplets, a part of her still feared, feared that this was all a cruel trick of fate.Master Fu exhaled sharply before looking
Forty-Eight Hours Later......Alaric Royale sat behind his massive oak desk, his fingers rhythmically tapping against the polished surface. The clock on the wall ticked steadily, but his mind was anything but calm.Forty-eight hours had passed. A whole two days since he had Maribel’s blood drawn under the guise of a routine check-up. Any minute now, he knew he'd be drawing closer to the truth.A soft ding echoed in the quiet office and his phone screen lit up with a message from Dr. Hastings: "The results are ready. You’ll need to see this in person."Alaric’s grip on his phone tightened. He rose from his chair, grabbing his coat with a sharp motion before striding out. Jimmy, who had been standing nearby, immediately fell in step beside him. “Sir?” Jimmy inquired, softly.“We’re going to Hastings’ clinic.” Alaric's response was clipped. Jimmy felt the suppressed rage and shuddered inwardly. Jimmy needed no further explanation. His sharp gaze darkened as he nodded. “Understood.”Dr. H