Chapter 4 - Sebastian's Grandfather Was Supposed to Be Dead—Yet He Had Been Living in Secret and Watching My ChildrenI couldn't breathe.
The old man stood behind Adrian.
Sebastian's grandfather.
The man who had destroyed our marriage.
The man who had rejected my unborn children.
The man everyone said had died two years earlier.
But he was standing in my doorway.
“You.”
He smiled.
“Maya.”
I pulled the children closer.
“How are you alive?”
“People believe what they're told.”
I stared.
He looked at the children.
“They've grown.”
I felt sick.
“You knew.”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“Because blood matters.”
Owen stared at him.
The old man smiled.
“You have his eyes.”
He pointed toward Owen.
Sebastian's grandfather knew exactly who he was.
He had always known.
Then I heard footsteps.
Sebastian.
He appeared at the end of the hall.
His gun was raised.
“Let them go.”
His grandfather turned.
“Sebastian.”
“You're dead.”
“And yet here I am.”
Adrian stepped aside.
Sebastian's face became murderous.
“You destroyed my marriage.”
His grandfather smiled.
“I protected your empire.”
“You stole my children.”
“No.”
He looked at me.
“I protected them from you.”
Sebastian's eyes narrowed.
“From me?”
“You were weak.”
“I loved her.”
“You loved a woman who could destroy everything your family built.”
Sebastian's voice dropped.
“That's what you were afraid of.”
His grandfather laughed.
“You still don't understand.”
He revealed the truth.
The Vale family had enemies.
Not ordinary enemies.
A rival syndicate had been searching for a legitimate Vale heir.
If Sebastian had married me publicly, our children would have become targets.
So his grandfather decided to erase the marriage.
He wanted me gone.
He wanted Sebastian angry enough to sever ties.
And when the triplets were born, he chose silence.
Not because he hated them.
Because he feared they would be used against Sebastian.
But there was one flaw.
He hadn't acted alone.
Adrian Cross had become greedy.
He had secretly sold information to the rival syndicate.
The marriage had been destroyed partly for protection.
Then exploited for profit.
Sebastian stared at his grandfather.
“You could have told me.”
“You would have ignored me.”
“You should have trusted me.”
“I trusted your blood.”
Sebastian raised his gun.
I stepped forward.
“Sebastian.”
He looked at me.
I shook my head.
“Not in front of the children.”
His eyes lowered.
Slowly, he lowered his gun.
His grandfather smiled.
“Still controlling you, Maya.”
“No.”
Sebastian looked at him.
“She doesn't control me.”
His voice hardened.
“She reminds me who I am.”
Then the lights went out.
A gunshot fired.
Adrian screamed.
May you like
When the emergency lights came on, Sebastian's grandfather was gone.
And so was Noah.
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