Edward Callahan sat at his large, mahogany desk, scanning the photographs in front of him. As the CEO of the Callahan Group, he was always on the lookout for talented designers to collaborate with.But this particular search was personal. The fifth concubine of Country S's royal family had been known for her exquisite taste in jewelry. Edward had been trying to track down the designer behind those stunning pieces for years. His team had finally managed to obtain some photographs of the designer, but they were unremarkable. The woman in the pictures had a burnt scar on her cheek, and her features were not particularly striking. Yet, as Edward gazed at the photographs, he felt an inexplicable tug at his heartstrings.It was as if he was looking at a part of himself, a connection he couldn't quite explain. He shrugged it off as mere curiosity, but the feeling persisted. Edward's eyes drifted to the designs accompanying the photographs. The jewelry pieces were breathtaking, with intrica
The soft hum of a private jet vibrated through the plush cabin as Alaric leaned back in his seat, his mind a storm of frustration and resolve. His emerald eyes, usually calm and commanding, now glinted with a hardened edge. The name Gwen Mason tasted bitter on his tongue.The Royale Group had weathered many storms, but the recent attacks, unprecedented sanctions, false allegations, and covert sabotage, had stretched even his legendary patience. The shadowy hand behind it all led to one person: Queen Consort Gwen Mason of Country S.~~Two Weeks Earlier~~Alaric had been in his office at Royale Tower when his assistant, Jimmy, walked in with an urgent report. “Sir, another contract has been pulled. This time, the banks are citing ‘political instability’ in Country S.”Alaric’s jaw tightened. “Political instability my foot. Who’s the client?”“Callahan Group.”The name made Alaric pause. Edward Callahan was one of the few CEOs he respected, a man who valued integrity as much as profit. “
Alaric’s hands trembled as he dragged himself from the bed, his mind spinning with disbelief and revulsion. The silky sheets that had once signified luxury now felt suffocating, clinging to him like a trap. His eyes darted to Maribel, who sat with the practiced serenity of a woman who knew she had won.The room was unfamiliar, its decor far more feminine than his taste. As his eyes adjusted to the morning light streaming through the windows, he realized with a jolt that he was not alone.Beside him, Maribel lay draped in silk sheets, her bare shoulders peeking out. Her dark hair was spread across the pillow, and she looked every bit the picture of innocence.“What the hell?” Alaric muttered, sitting up too quickly. The motion sent a wave of dizziness crashing over him.Maribel stirred, her eyes fluttering open. She feigned a startled gasp, clutching the sheet to her chest. “Alaric! You’re awake…”“What is this?” he demanded, his voice hoarse. “What happened?”Her lower lip trembled as
As the days turned into weeks, Elona settled into life at Edward’s villa. The triplets adored their newfound uncle, and Edward’s patience and warmth were a balm to Elona’s wounded heart.One afternoon, as they sat in the garden watching the children play, Edward turned to her. “Elona,” he began carefully, “have you thought about what comes next?”She sighed, her gaze distant. “I don’t know. Every time I think I’ve moved past the pain, something reminds me of him.”Edward hesitated before speaking again. “You deserve to be happy, Elona. And if you ever need more than just a place to stay… you have me.”Her eyes met his, a flicker of something unspoken passing between them. For the first time in weeks, Elona allowed herself to smile.Elsewhere, the whispers in the halls of the Royale Mansion were louder than ever. Servants exchanged glances, the senior advisors muttered behind closed doors, and Alaric could feel the weight of every disapproving gaze.He was a man under siege, but the on
The air in the grand hall of the Royale Mansion was heavy with tension as Master Fu strode in, his presence commanding yet calm. Julio and Leonardo stood at the far end, their voices raised in frustration as they debated their next move. Master Fu’s quiet authority, however, was like a balm to the escalating situation.“Master Fu,” Julio said, his tone a mix of relief and exasperation. “We’ve been trying to find Elona, but she left without a word. She’s taken the triplets, and we’re at a loss.” Master Fu raised a hand, silencing Julio. “Panicking will not bring her back. I need to speak with Senior Royale.”Senior Royale sat in his study, a glass of aged whiskey in his hand. He looked up as Master Fu entered, his expression betraying the weight of years and secrets. “You’ve come,” Senior Royale said, gesturing to the seat opposite him.Master Fu took the offered seat but wasted no time. “I need answers, Senior. How can you be so certain that Maribel’s child isn’t Alaric’s? The scandal
The sprawling Callahan villa in the heart of the capital was a sanctuary of opulence and security, a place where Elona and her triplets could find refuge from the storm. Yet, despite the lavish surroundings and the cheerful laughter of her children, Elona’s heart remained a battlefield of emotions.Each morning began with determination, a quiet resolve to forge a new path for herself and her children. But that resolve faltered as the headlines intruded on her carefully built walls. Images of Alaric and Maribel’s engagement plastered across newspapers and magazines were impossible to escape. Maribel, her growing belly a constant reminder of the perceived betrayal, beamed alongside Alaric in every picture.Elona’s chest tightened each time she saw those images, but she refused to let them break her.One evening, she sat alone in the sunlit courtyard, watching her children play. Arlyle darted across the lawn, chasing Allie and Artie as their laughter echoed through the open space. Their
The Callahan villa brimmed with anticipation as the triplets’ fifth birthday drew near. Arlyle, Artie, and Allie buzzed with excitement, their energy filling every corner of the sprawling estate.“Mama, I want a rocket cake! One that blasts off!” Artie declared, bouncing on his toes as he tugged on Elona’s sleeve. Allie chimed in, spinning dramatically with her toy wand in hand. “No! A princess cake with glitter and a crown!”Arlyle, the eldest by a mere three minutes but ever the diplomat, grinned at his siblings. “We can have both, right, Mama?”Elona knelt to their level, wrapping them all in a warm embrace. “Of course. Anything for my stars,” she said, her voice soft but tinged with a wistfulness that even she couldn’t hide.As the children ran off, their laughter ringing in the air, Elona felt a pang deep in her chest. This birthday was not only a celebration of their growth but also a stark reminder of the fractured relationship she had with their father, Alaric.That evening, t
Alaric sat in his private office, staring at the medical report in his hands. The results from the amniocentesis he had arranged without Maribel's knowledge were glaringly clear. "Paternal DNA Match: Negative." The paper trembled in his grip as fury and disbelief coursed through him.For months, he had been trapped in a web of lies, sacrificing his reputation, his freedom, and, most painfully, his connection to Elona and the triplets. And all for a child that wasn't his."Maribel," he growled, his voice cold and venomous. "You'll pay for this." His assistant, Jimmy, knocked on the door hesitantly. "Sir, the board meeting is starting."Alaric raised his gaze, his icy demeanor startling him. "Cancel it. I have more important matters to attend to." Jimmy nodded quickly and left, sensing the storm brewing in his boss.Later that evening, Alaric called his grandfather, Senior Royale. The older man listened quietly as Alaric revealed the truth about the pregnancy."I knew it," Senior Royale
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