When love defies power

Secret Triplets: The Billionaire's Second Chance

Roderic Penn

I stood at my mother’s open grave in the freezing rain, my heels sinking into the mud. The space beside me was empty. My husband, Hilliard Holloway, had promised to cherish me in bad times, but apparently, burying my mother didn't fit into his busy schedule. While the priest’s voice droned on, a news alert lit up my phone. It was a livestream of the Metropolitan Charity Gala. There was Hilliard, looking impeccable in a custom tuxedo, with his ex-girlfriend Charla English draped over his arm. The headline read: "Holloway & English: A Power Couple Reunited?" When he finally returned to our penthouse at 2 AM, he didn't come alone—he brought Charla with him. He claimed she’d had a "medical emergency" at the gala and couldn't be left alone. I found a Tiffany diamond necklace on our coffee table meant for her birthday, and a smudge of her signature red lipstick on his collar. When I confronted him, he simply told me to stop being "hysterical" and "acting like a child." He had no idea I was seven months pregnant with his child. He thought so little of my grief that he didn't even bother to craft a convincing lie, laughing with his mistress in our home while I sat in the dark with a shattered heart and a secret life growing inside me. "He doesn't deserve us," I whispered to the darkness. I didn't scream or beg. I simply left a folder on his desk containing signed divorce papers and a forged medical report for a terminated pregnancy. I disappeared into the night, letting him believe he had successfully killed his own legacy through his neglect. Five years later, Hilliard walked into "The Vault," the city's most exclusive underground auction, looking for a broker to manage his estate. He didn't recognize me behind my Venetian mask, but he couldn't ignore the neon pink graffiti on his armored Maybach that read "DEADBEAT." He had no clue that the three brilliant triplets currently hacking his security system were the very children he thought had been erased years ago. This time, I wasn't just a wife in the way; I was the one holding all the cards.

Modern Crime Revenge

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"Are you going to undress yourself, or should I do it for you?" The man's voice dripped with contempt, and at the sound of it, Helena Ellis immediately tensed.

She froze as the zipper of her gown slowly loosened, the cool air brushing against her bare skin. In a panic, she grabbed the fabric and turned around to the man, her eyes meeting his intense gaze.

"You're wearing a dress that was never meant for you. Emily should be the one wearing it." His words, sharp and unforgiving, cut straight through her.

The man before her was Alden Wilson, heir to Cheson's top business empire. He was never supposed to be her husband—he was meant to marry her half-sister, Emily Simpson. But when Emily disappeared without a trace just before the wedding, Helena was forced to step in and take her place.

It all began when Gemma Simpson, her estranged mother who had barely spoken to her since she reached adulthood, unexpectedly appeared at her door. Instead of a greeting, the first words that came out of Gemma's mouth were a demand that Helena marry Alden in Emily's place.

Gemma grasped Helena's hands tightly and pleaded, "Helena, how are you going to manage your father's nursing home expenses? His bills will only keep increasing. Just help Emily this one time, and the Simpson family will take care of the bills."

Helena didn't hesitate to refuse right away.

But the next day, her father was gone. Without any warning, the Simpson family had taken him. Her father, already fragile from his worsening dementia, became their bargaining chip. And that was how Helena ended up in that wedding dress, forced to take vows meant for someone else.

Helena was left with no other option. She did what she had to do. Her father was the only person who had ever truly stood by her. There was no way she would abandon him now.

She pushed the painful memories aside, lowered her head, and reluctantly spoke to Alden, who stood before her. "Mr. Wilson, this arranged marriage is just a formality for business. Whether it's me or someone else, it makes no difference."

"Don't look away when you're speaking to me," he replied, his tone cold and sharp. With a firm hand, Alden tilted Helena's chin up, making sure their gaze met.

Only then did she catch sight of something behind his ear. A small device. Sleek. Subtle.

A cochlear implant.

Alden was hearing-impaired. Was this the secret that sent Emily running from the wedding?

"Knowing why your sister ran away, do you still want to marry me?" Alden's lips curved into a tight, sarcastic grin.

He had just returned from abroad, so most people hadn't heard the news yet of the hearing loss he'd suffered twenty years ago.

"I'll marry you," Helena replied, masking the flicker of doubt in her eyes.

"And what's your reason?" Alden asked, his voice low and firm. His expression shifted, darkening as the playful mask slipped away.

Helena took a deep breath, regaining the composure of a news anchor. "My parents told me this marriage would only last until the development project is complete. I was promised full compensation from the Wilson family, money that'll be mine alone. Mr. Wilson, I need the money."

The Wilson family stood to gain far more than just money from this marriage. For Helena, this wasn't about ambition or greed. What she sought wasn't wealth or status, only what had been agreed upon.

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