Chapter 58 – Lucian
The city stretched below me, a glittering expanse of steel and glass, a kingdom carved from ambition and sleepless nights. My office towered above it all, the floor-to-ceiling windows reflecting the morning light in silver shards. On most days, this view reminded me of control. Of power. Of victory.
Today, it reminded me of chaos.
My chaos came in the form of two small girls with identical faces, identical laughs, and tantrums strong enough to humble kings. My daughters. My flesh and blood. My everything now.
Even as I stared at the reports glowing on my desk screen, numbers swimming with precision, I wasn't seeing profits or projections. I was seeing the way one of them had tugged at my sleeve last night because her braid was too tight. I was hearing the other's serious little voice asking me if pancakes could be eaten for dinner too. I was reliving the ridiculous argument they had over whose stuffed bunny got to sit at the head of the bed.
And for the first time in my life, work wasn't enough to drown the noise. The empire I built with iron hands suddenly felt like background music to the real symphony happening at home.
A soft knock pulled me back. Silas entered, ever the shadow, placing a neat folder on the edge of the desk. "The overseas contracts have been finalized, sir. They're waiting on your approval."
I nodded but didn't open it. My thoughts kept spiraling back to the estate, to Rina, to the fragile arrangement we had fallen into because of the girls. An arrangement where we smiled for them, answered their endless questions together, promised to stay side by side so they wouldn't feel abandoned.
Pretending, yet not pretending.
And beneath it all, years of unresolved truths and buried pain lay simmering between us.
I leaned back, pressing my fingers to my temple. My family. They didn't know. Not yet. My mother, my father, my sister they lived in the dark, while my life had changed so violently it was almost unrecognizable.
I imagined my mother's face when she found out. She had asked me for years, sometimes playfully, sometimes with quiet sorrow, when I would finally give her grandchildren. I had always deflected, always buried myself in work. I wasn't ready. I hadn't believed in family. I hadn't believed in love.
And yet, here I was. A father of two.
It almost felt cruel, keeping it from them.
My father's stern voice echoed in my mind: A man who hides his truth is already defeated. He wouldn't accept secrecy. Not when it came to bloodline, legacy, family. He had built everything with that foundation in mind.
And my sister Aurora...she would skin me alive for keeping this from her. Then, knowing her, she'd be the first to storm my estate demanding to meet her nieces.
I exhaled slowly. The decision was inevitable. The longer I delayed, the more tangled it would become. It was time.
I rose, buttoned my jacket, and signaled to Silas. "Prepare the car. We're going to my parents' estate."
He blinked. "Now, sir?"
"Yes. Now."
The drive was silent, but my mind wasn't. Every tree we passed, every curve of the road, I kept seeing flashes of the girls. Their stubborn little mouths pouting in unison. The way they curled into me when they finally gave in to sleep. How fiercely they clung to Rina, demanding promises we weren't sure we could keep.
How could I explain all of this to my family? How could I make them understand that one night one twisted night of betrayal had rewritten my destiny? That out of that darkness came the brightest light I had ever known?
The estate gates swung open, familiar and heavy with history. This was the world I had come from: tradition, wealth, expectation. A world that demanded nothing less than perfection.
I stepped out, inhaling the scent of old roses climbing the stone walls. The manor stood tall, timeless, windows gleaming like watchful eyes.
Inside, warmth and elegance embraced me. My mother's laughter drifted faintly from the sitting room. My father's voice, low and commanding, rumbled from deeper within. Aurora's sharp, musical tone joined in. They were all here.
For a moment, I hesitated. The weight of what I was about to do pressed against my chest.
Then I walked in.
"Lucian!" Aurora's voice was the first to slice through the air. She was perched on the arm of a sofa, hair swept up, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Well, well. Look who finally decided to show his face in the family home."
My mother turned, her eyes lighting up the way they always did when she saw me. "Darling," she said warmly, rising to kiss my cheek. "You've been buried in work again, haven't you? We hardly see you anymore."
My father didn't rise, but his gaze was sharp, assessing. "Lucian."
I inclined my head. "Father."
"Sit." It wasn't a suggestion.
I sat. The three of them surrounded me, expectant, curious. For years, they had grown used to my controlled updates, my detached presence. But today, I could feel their eyes probing deeper.
"I have something to tell you," I began, my voice steady though my pulse hammered.
Aurora raised a brow. "This sounds dramatic. Do go on."
My mother leaned forward, her hands clasped. "Is it serious, darling? You look pale."
"It's serious," I admitted. I drew in a breath, exhaled slowly. "I… have children."
Silence. A silence so thick it felt like the air had been sucked out of the room.
My mother blinked once. Twice. "I beg your pardon?"
Aurora's jaw actually dropped. "Children? As in plural? As in ...you...Lucian dreven.....have kids? You?"
My father's eyes narrowed. "Explain."
"They're twins," I said quietly. The words felt surreal even now. "Five years old. Girls."
My mother let out a sound halfway between a sob and a laugh, tears springing instantly to her eyes. "Twins," she whispered, pressing a hand to her mouth. "Oh, Lucian. You've been hiding granddaughters from me?"
Aurora shot up from her seat, pacing, throwing her hands in the air. "Five years?! Five years and you didn't say a word? Do you realize what this means? Do you realize what this makes me? I'm an aunt! Oh, this is this is " She broke off, laughing and cursing under her breath. "Unbelievable. You....you complete bastard."
My father didn't move, but his voice cut through the chaos. "Why now? Why tell us now, after five years?"
I met his gaze. "Because I didn't know. Not until recently."
That silenced even Aurora. My mother's tears paused as shock re-entered her expression.
"You didn't… know?" she repeated faintly.
I told them then. Not everything not the ugliest details of betrayal and manipulation but enough. Enough for them to understand that what happened that night wasn't a choice, that both Rina and I had been victims of someone else's cruelty. Enough for them to see that the twins had been kept from me until fate or something greater thrust them back into my world.
My mother was openly weeping now, but they were tears of joy. "Granddaughters," she kept whispering. "I have granddaughters."
Aurora sat back down, shaking her head in disbelief. "So that's why you've been acting strange. That's why you've been vanishing from the social circuit. You've been busy playing Daddy." Her lips curved, mischievous. "And here I thought you were just brooding more than usual."
Despite myself, I almost smiled.
My father studied me with that unreadable gaze of his. Finally, he nodded once. "Blood is blood. You'll bring them here. They are part of this family."
I stiffened slightly. "Not yet."
"Not yet?" Aurora echoed, scandalized. "Are you insane? You can't drop a bomb like this and then not let us meet them!"
My mother clutched my hand, her eyes pleading. "Lucian, please. Let us see them. I need to hold them. I need to.."
"Not yet," I said firmly, though my chest ached at her longing. "They've just come into my world. They need stability first. They need time. And Rina" I stopped myself.
Aurora's eyes sharpened. "And who exactly is Rina?"
I stood, needing the space, the air. "Their mother," I said simply.
Another silence, heavy and electric.
Then Aurora let out a whistle. "Well. This family reunion just keeps getting better."
My mother squeezed my hand again, tears spilling fresh. "I don't care how it happened. I don't care about the past. All I care about is that you've been given this gift, Lucian. Two beautiful girls. A chance to love. Don't waste it."
Her words cut deep.
And in that moment, I realized the storm had only begun.