The sun bathed the vineyards in a warm golden hue as Elona strolled through the open-air market with her children, Julio, and Master Fu. The day was meant to be a break from their whirlwind of revelations and confrontations. For Elona, it was a chance to bond with her children and enjoy a rare moment of peace.On the other side of the market, Esme walked through the bustling stalls, her senses alive with the aroma of fresh herbs and spices. She was running an errand for Leonardo, but as she moved through the crowd, a strange unease settled in her chest. It was a feeling she couldn’t quite place, as though something life-changing was just around the corner.Elona paused near a stall selling handmade jewelry. Allie tugged on her dress, insisting she come and see a delicate bracelet. As Elona turned to follow her daughter, she caught sight of a woman with striking silver-brown hair and a graceful demeanor. Something about her tugged at Elona’s heart.Esme, standing only a few stalls away
The grand hall of the royal palace in Country S was bathed in cold light, the air thick with an undercurrent of tension. The Queen Consort, Gwendolyn Mason, seated on an ornate throne carved from dark mahogany, exuded an aura of calculated malice. Her sharp features were etched with a frown as her spy relayed the latest information.“Princess Esmeralda is alive,” the man said, his voice trembling slightly under her piercing gaze. “She’s in Country F… with Julio and her daughter, Elona.”The Queen Consort’s fingers tightened around the golden armrest, her nails scraping against the polished surface. “So, the rumors were true. That stubborn woman escaped the accident I so carefully orchestrated.” Her voice was icy, yet a flicker of doubt crept into her tone.“She has allies now,” the spy continued. “Julio, Leonardo, and even Master Fu are protecting her. Her daughter appears to have inherited her brilliance and is growing increasingly influential.”The Queen Consort’s eyes darkened. “Ma
Nineteen years had passed since Gwendolyn Mason’s fateful deception during her honeymoon with Hesperus Mendez. Now Queen Consort of Country S, Gwen believed her secret was long buried, but fate had other plans.The University of Althea in Country S was hosting a grand event to celebrate an international student exchange program, with the Queen Consort herself delivering the keynote speech. Dressed in a regal blue gown that accentuated her commanding presence, Gwen exuded grace and poise as she addressed the audience. Among the sea of students, one face caught her attention, and the words froze on her lips.He was tall and striking, his posture regal despite the casual student attire. His dark hair framed a face that bore an uncanny resemblance to her husband, King Hesperus. But what truly shook Gwen were his eyes. He had vivid, piercing blue eyes, identical to those of the young girl she had paid off nineteen years ago.For a moment, Gwen’s polished composure cracked. She struggled t
The afternoon sun painted the vineyards with a golden glow as Esme led Elona, Julio, and the triplets toward the sprawling Valtieri estate. Despite her fractured memory, the pull she felt toward Elona and Julio was undeniable. Every glance at Elona stirred an ache in her heart, while Julio’s quiet reverence evoked emotions she couldn’t name.Leonardo stood on the porch, his posture relaxed yet vigilant. As they approached, his gaze lingered on Julio and Elona. The resemblance between Esme and her daughter was unmistakable, and he couldn’t help but feel a pang of bittersweet pride. His own secret, that he was Esme’s father, remained unspoken, but seeing her slowly reconnect with her past brought him both comfort and longing.Esme's eyes sparkled with a mix of emotions as she stood in the grand foyer of the Valtieri estate, surrounded by the people who had somehow become her lifeline. She took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly as she began the introductions."Leonardo, I'd lik
Esme's eyes sparkled with excitement as she turned to Leonardo in the grand foyer. "Leonardo, I have a favor to ask," she said, her voice filled with a newfound sense of purpose. Leonardo raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What is it, Esme?" "I want to host a banquet," Esme announced, her words tumbling out in a rush. "I want to introduce my family to the people here, to show them that I'm not just the icy queen they think I am." Leonardo's face broke into a warm smile. "I think that's a wonderful idea, Esme. When would you like to host the banquet?" Esme's eyes shone with determination. "As soon as possible. I want to show my family that I'm committed to rebuilding our relationships and creating new memories together." Leonardo nodded, his mind already racing with the logistics of planning a banquet on short notice. "I'll make it happen, Esme. Let's get started right away." The grand hall of Leonardo's sprawling estate shimmered with the warm glow of crystal chandeliers, casting a g
Meanwhile, in Country S, the Queen Consort sat in her private chambers, the flickering candlelight casting ominous shadows on the walls. A glass of crimson wine trembled in her hand as her informant knelt before her, head bowed low, trembling as he delivered the news."The poison... it was intercepted, Your Majesty," he stammered, voice barely above a whisper. "The banquet proceeded without incident. Your plan... it failed."The wineglass shattered in her grip, the shards slicing into her palm. She barely noticed the pain, her piercing blue eyes narrowing into slits. "Failed?" she hissed, her voice dangerously calm. "How is that possible? Every detail was meticulously planned. Who thwarted me?"The informant flinched, his head lowering further. "It appears Leonardo and his allies were prepared. They discovered the spy before...""Enough!" Gwen's voice sliced through the air like a dagger, silencing him instantly. She rose from her chair, her gown swirling around her like a storm cloud
Maribel stood at the airport terminal, a boarding pass for Country F in her hand. She stared at the glowing departure board, her mind racing. The Royale Group’s influence stretched across continents, but its heart lay firmly in Country M. Alaric Royale might be on vacation in Country F, but she knew where his loyalty and attention truly belonged.Her lips curved into a sly smile as she ripped the boarding pass in half, turning on her heel. "Country M it is," she murmured. If Alaric wouldn’t come to her, she would create a reason for him to return.The next morning in Country M, Maribel sat in her rented office, surrounded by financial reports and market analysis of the Royale Group. She’d spent weeks studying their operations, identifying vulnerabilities, and crafting her plan. The Royale Group’s stocks were solid, but even the strongest empires had cracks.She made several discreet calls, leveraging her contacts in the black market and business world. Rumors began to swirl in financi
The villa in Country F was unusually quiet after Alaric’s abrupt departure. Elona paced the length of the living room, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She replayed their last conversation in her mind, irritation simmering beneath her composure. He always puts work first. Always.But even as the thought crossed her mind, doubt crept in. Had she been too harsh? The triplets missed their father terribly, and despite her frustration, she couldn’t deny the worry gnawing at her. Alaric’s voice had held an edge she hadn’t heard in years, a mixture of desperation and determination.Later that evening, as the triplets slept and the house settled into stillness, Elona decided to indulge her curiosity. She opened her laptop and navigated to the financial news sites. Her intention was simple: to confirm that Alaric had exaggerated the severity of the situation. Instead, what she found made her gasp.Headline after headline detailed the plummeting stocks of Royale Group, speculations abou
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