lissa swallowed hard for the fifth ti in a row. At this rate, she was sure she’d run out of saliva.
"S-So... as you must have seen from the cara or sothing, I didn’t know anything about it..." Her eyes flicked to the green box beside her.
What could be inside?
She looked away, then back to Kieran. He was watching her unblinking, his face unreadable, cold. That only made it worse—she couldn’t tell if he believed her or not.
"When she was about to lose consciousness, she slipped it into my clothes. I didn’t know what it was. I wanted to give it to you, I really did, but... I hesitated. Instead, I gave it to a friend of mine—she’s a scientist. She helped check what was inside."
She paused, searching his face for any flicker of reaction. Nothing. Just that icy stare.
lissa dragged a hand down her face. "We found out that the drug’s purpose was to... to terminate any life that might grow inside her. It was so harsh, it could’ve destroyed her womb. That must’ve been why she fainted from the pain."
Still, the only reaction she got was the way his hand clenched around the armrest of the chair.
"S-So the next day, I told her what we found. I told her to stop taking it. I don’t know if she listened, but the following day, she said she’d gotten rid of it. But... if you’re here, asking about the bottle... does that an she didn’t throw it away? Is she hurt?"
lissa’s eyes widened in fear. She hadn’t seen Genesis in over a week—he’d said their lessons would resu next week, but no one told her why they were paused. Her chest tightened. It had to be connected to that bottle.
Kieran turned to Julian. "Tell Damon to check the footage from the day after she got back from the hospital. I want to know who took her to ballet class. I doubt she would’ve discarded it in the house."
Julian nodded and pulled out his phone.
Kieran turned back to lissa—and her heart nearly dropped into her stomach. She hated those eyes on her. Those sharp, cold blue eyes. How could soone so breathtakingly handso make her feel like she was about to throw up? It was like a different man was sitting there now.
"I-I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you," she rushed out. "I didn’t want to ddle in your marriage. I thought it was her place to tell you, and she looked so scared when I even thought about saying sothing. I stayed quiet... I thought she must’ve gotten rid of it."
He didn’t reply. Just gestured to the green box sitting beside her.
"Why don’t you open it?"
She gave a nervous laugh and shook her head. "No, no. I don’t need a gift. I’m happy with what you brought for the kids."
His voice hardened. "I insist, lissa."
Though he sounded polite, she knew it was anything but a suggestion. With trembling fingers, she reached for the box, her whole body shaking.
"Why do you tremble like you think it’s full of human parts?" he asked, voice low. "Am I such a monster?" He glanced briefly at the picture fra on the shelf.
Tears stung her eyes. She slowly unwrapped the box, bracing herself. The top ca off. Her eyes squeezed shut.
After a few seconds, her right eye peeked open.
Inside was a single, sealed white envelope.
Her brows furrowed as she picked it up, hands still shaking. Her na was written across the front in clean, slanted handwriting.
Kieran leaned forward slightly. "That’s not a gift. It’s the test results."
lissa blinked. "Test results?"
He nodded once. "From the day Genesis fainted. The doctor sent them to a few days ago. I didn’t open it until now—until I saw the cara footage."
With her heart pounding, she opened the envelope. Inside was one sheet of paper. She read the first few lines, lips parting.
She read it again.
"This says... it was just the flu?" she whispered, voice cracking. "That can’t be right. She was in so much pain. She fainted. That bottle..."
She shook her head. "This doesn’t make sense."
Kieran’s eyes stayed on her. Icy. Calculating. "Exactly."
He leaned back, fingers tapping the armrest. "I watched more footage. She drank from that bottle often. And if what your scientist friend said is true, there’s no way this was just a stomach flu."
lissa stared at the paper, stomach twisting. "Then that ans... soone tampered with the results? Or the doctor didn’t check properly?"
"I don’t care how it was done," Kieran said quietly. "What matters is that this paper was supposed to bring answers. Instead, it’s raised more questions."
Her hands gripped the test results so tightly the paper wrinkled. "What does that an for her? Is she—"
"I’m going to find out," he cut in.
Just then, Julian’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen. "Damon says it was Bernard."
Kieran gave a slow nod, then turned his cold gaze back to lissa. "You did wrong keeping this from ."
lissa’s face crumpled. "I know. I was scared."
He stood without another word. The room felt too small. Too quiet.
He turned to Julian. "Get Aiden on the line. I want to have a little chat with him."
Then, he glanced back at lissa one last ti.
"Next ti... don’t hide things from ."
She nodded rapidly.
He walked toward the door but paused by the fra again. From the corner of his eye, he saw little Edwin peeking through the door. The mont Edwin realized he’d been spotted, he grinned and shut the door quickly.
Kieran’s lips twitched in brief amusent.
He didn’t say a word about it. So truths, he thought, always ca out on their own.
He turned back to lissa. "And please tell the kids I had a wonderful ti with them. I expect to see them again—especially at my little princess’s birthday. Daisy would love new friends."
lissa nodded quickly.
To her surprise, Kieran flipped the picture fra down, then walked out of the house.
She stood frozen in place until she heard the front door click shut.
Her shoulders sagged as she finally exhaled, grabbing onto the shelf for support. Then her gaze darted back to the fra. She rushed forward and flipped it upright.
At that mont, the room door burst open and her kids ran out. She dropped to her knees as Edwin bead and Marilyn rubbed her sleepy eyes.
lissa pulled them both into a tight hug, holding them like she’d never let go.
****
Kieran had barely entered the estate gates when his phone buzzed with a ssage from his father. He glanced down.
"I’m on my way."
He frowned, puzzled for a mont—then rembered. The day Takeshi had called, his father ntioned he’d be moving into the estate soon. But with everything going on, Kieran hadn’t realized how long it had been since they last spoke. Weeks, maybe.
He didn’t respond. Just locked the screen and looked away, right as another car pulled into the estate behind them.
But that thought vanished the mont he looked up.
A group of his n were gathered outside, circling sothing—or soone. He couldn’t tell from where he stood.
The car ca to a stop. He stepped out, just as the vehicle behind them halted as well.
"What’s going on here?" Kieran called out.
Marco and Leonardo turned toward him, but before either could answer, a voice cut through the air—loud, trembling, desperate.
"Kieran!"
His eyes widened.
There she was.
But it wasn’t just her face that stunned him—it was the swollen belly she carried in front of her. Pregnant. Very pregnant.
She ran straight to him, throwing her arms around his waist. Her tears soaked through his shirt as she clung to him like a lifeline.
"Kieran, where have you been?" she sobbed, her body shaking against his.
"A...Alia." His voice ca out barely above a whisper.
And then—he slled it. A soft, familiar scent drifting through the air. His head turned sharply.
Genesis.
She stood a few feet away in her ballet attire, her arms still at her sides, eyes wide with confusion as she stared at the scene in front of her.
Kieran instinctively tried to step toward her.
But Alia held him tighter.
"Kieran," she breathed again, and then her eyes fluttered closed.
Her body slumped in his arms.
"Alia?"
He caught her before she could hit the ground, wrapping his arms around her waist just as the estate gates opened again and yet another car rolled in.
Gasps echoed around them.
A very pregnant Alia had just fainted—right into Kieran’s arms.
The air felt like it froze.
Genesis stood there motionless, her face pale with shock, confusion written all over her.
The rest of Kieran’s n exchanged glances.
They knew.
Things were about to get very, very ssy.
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