Four little boys in matching navy uniforms walked into a restaurant bathroom hours before my million-dollar engagement. Five minutes later, I stared into four identical versions of my own face.

By 8:30 PM, the silence of my penthouse was shattered by the sharp, authoritative click of high heels echoing from the private elevator foyer.

My mother, Victoria Whitaker, stepped into the living room like a storm wrapped in mink and diamond necklaces. Behind her stood Brielle Cartwright, looking elegant in a white silk gown, her eyes narrowed with sharp resentment.

"Julian!" Victoria barked, her voice booming off the glass walls. "Have you lost your absolute mind?! Over two hundred guests are sitting in the conservatory! The press is waiting outside! The Cartwright-Whitaker merger relies on tonight's—"

Victoria stopped mid-sentence.

Her eyes drifted past me to the dining table, where four six-year-old boys were sitting silently, eating warm soup that my personal chef had prepared. Mara stood behind them, a serving spoon in her hand, staring back at Victoria with unwavering hatred.

Victoria’s face drained of color, going as pale as her pearl necklace.

"What... what is she doing here?" Victoria whispered, taking a step backward. "How did she find you?!"

Brielle walked up beside my mother, her eyes locking onto the four little boys at the table. Her jaw dropped in utter astonishment. "Julian... who are those children?"

"They're mine, Brielle," I said, stepping between my mother and the dining table to form an impenetrable barrier. "And they are the reason there will be no engagement tonight."

"They can't be yours!" Brielle snapped, her voice rising into an irritated pitch. "You haven't seen this woman in six years! She's probably trying to trap you for a child support settlement!"

"Look at their faces, Brielle!" I shouted, the force of my voice causing both women to jump. "Look at their eyes! Look at the way they touch their necks when they're nervous! They don't need a DNA test for me to see my own blood!"

Victoria grabbed my forearm with a vice-like grip, her polished nails digging into my suit jacket. "Julian, listen to me very carefully. You are the CEO of Whitaker Enterprises. You cannot let a temporary lapse in judgment destroy a multi-billion-dollar corporate alliance! I will pay this girl whatever she wants to take those bastards and vanish!"

Crack.

The sound of my hand striking the marble counter rattled the crystal glasses nearby.

"Don't you ever call my sons that word again," I snarled, leaning into my mother's face until she shrank back in fear. "You lied to me for six years. You told me Mara abandoned me for money while you systematically destroyed her father's livelihood!"

"I did what was necessary to preserve this family's legacy!" Victoria shrieked, dropping all pretense. "She was a nobody! A middle-class girl with no status! You were meant for greatness, Julian!"

"Get out," I said quietly.