As Carlton stirred awake, he rolled over reaching out instinctively, but his hand met only cold sheets. Groggily, he opened his eyes, blinking against the sunlight filtering into the room.

When he saw the other side of the bed was empty, he sat up, remnants of sleep still clinging to him, and scanned the quiet room.

He glanced at the clock on the nightstand, it was ten in the morning.

He frowned, running a hand through his tousled hair.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, planting his feet on the plush carpet.

He stood, stretching, and took a slow lap around the suite. Her clothes were gone. The only trace of her was the subtle fragrance that still hung in the air.

Her scent lingered in the room, a faint tantalizing reminder of her presence.

He remembered the night vividly, the intensity, the passion, the way her presence had ignited something in him. But now, she was gone.

Frustration gnawed at him. He had just returned to the country the previous day, and the jet lag had hit him hard. He had slept more soundly than he had in weeks, and in his deep sleep, he hadn't heard her leave.

Carlton grabbed his phone from the nightstand and dialed his driver. It rang twice before he answered. "Good morning, Mr Banks."

"The lady from yesterday- is her car still parked outside?" Carlton asked, ignoring the pleasantries.

"No, sir," the driver replied. "I didn't see the car when I got here four hours ago."

He cursed under his breath, thanking the driver before hanging up. He paced the room, his mind racing.

He had no way of finding her, no clue about who she was or where she had gone. The realization only added to his frustration.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. There was nothing he could do now but hope that somehow she would show up again.

For the time being, he needed to go check the state of his father's company. Pushing aside his irritation, he headed to the bathroom to shower and shave.

The hot water did little to ease the tension in his muscles. His thoughts kept drifting back to her-her moan, her touch, the way she had made him feel alive. But now she was gone, leaving behind only a memory.

Carlton stepped out of the shower and toweled off, his mind gradually shifting to the day's events.

He dressed up, choosing a black shirt and a tailored suit. As he was fastening his cufflinks, his phone rang. His mother.

"Hi, Mom," he greeted, holding the phone between his ear and shoulder as he finished dressing.

"Carlton, dear, are you alright? I just heard about the accident."

"I'm fine. I wasn't hurt," he assured her quickly.

Alright. You need to come home," she said, her voice tinged with urgency.

"Home? What for?" he echoed, confused.

"The wedding didn't take place yesterday. We all left there in disappointment," she said.

Carlton paused, his cufflink dropped. "What happened?"

"I have no idea," his mother sighed. Just come home. Hopefully, Geoffrey will explain everything to us all.

"Anyway, I'll be there soon," he said, ending the call.

He stared at his reflection in the mirror, his mind reeling. The bride had jilted his cousin? This day was turning out to be far more complicated than he had anticipated.

He finished dressing quickly, grabbed his keys, and walked, slipping them into his pockets. With one last glance around the room, he left the suite, the scent of her perfume still faintly lingering in the air, a ghost of the night before.

He stared out the window as the driver drove him to his father's house, his thoughts a tangled mess of frustration and curiosity.

Who was she? And what on earth happened with his cousin's wedding?

When he arrived, his mother met him at the door, her face drawn with worry.

"I'm glad you're here," she said. Pulling him into a brief hug.

"What's going on?" Carlton asked curiously.

His mother sighed. "Let's go into the house. Your father is waiting, she said, and led him inside.

"What's this about Geoffrey being jilted?" Carlton asked as soon as the door closed behind them.

His mother shook her head, looking both angry and resigned. "According to his mother, she disappeared a few hours before the wedding yesterday and was out all night with her lover. She showed up early this morning, announced she was no longer getting married, and refused to explain herself.

Then she packed her bag and left."

Carlton frowned. "Just like that?" he asked as he settled into the seat opposite his father.

"Just like that," she confirmed.

"I never believed in fairytale weddings, they always turned out badly. The main reason I didn't attend." Carlton murmured.

"Thank goodness you didn't attend, you would have been so embarrassed," his mother said.

"Poor Geoffrey. He must have been devastated," Carlton said, and his mother nodded.

"This is such a mess. Can you imagine how much embarrassment and humiliation this family has to suffer? I can't believe he wanted to get married to someone so irresponsible," his mother added and Carlton sighed.

"Well I suppose a broken wedding is better than a broken marriage," Carlton pointed out.

"You could say that. Now that you're back, let's talk about the company. I'm stepping down for you to take over at the next shareholder's meeting," his father announced.

"When you say takeover, do you mean you would be stepping down completely or as your puppet?" He asked with a raised brow and his father chuckled.

"I'm going to let you do your thing, I'm getting older and tired. All I want is to retire and spend all my time playing with my wife and playing golf," his father said and this time Carlton chuckled.

"You are not old at all, you're only in your late sixties. And I have no problems taking over as long as you don't expect me to stand in front of cameras reciting words I don't mean or pretending to be who I'm not," he said easily and his father nodded in agreement.

"I understand that you don't want to be under public scrutiny, and I will respect it, as I've always done," he said, and Carlton nodded.

"Then I believe I'm ready to step into leadership and carry the reins forward."

Seven years passed by like the wind. Exactly seven years after walking out on her father and leaving the country, Penelope returned with her six-year-old daughters, Daphne and Dahila and Grace, their trusted nanny since she had them.

Seven years ago, she had not only left her home but also the country-and now, she was back. Not because she had any desire to confront her past or face her father, but because she wanted to return to the country of her birth with her little girls.

Images of the past seven years flickered before her eyes, the deception of Geoffrey and Hillary's

betrayal, the abrupt departure, the loneliness of a foreign land, and the unexpected pregnancy.

A pang of anger shot through her as she thought of her father's ultimatum to her on that morning seven years ago, marriage to Geoffrey being cut off.

"He should have handled it better," she muttered under her breath as she always did whenever she replayed the incident in her head.

It still hurt and angered her each time she remembered how her father had reacted when he should have simply tried to make her open up about her reason for calling off the wedding.

All of that didn't matter now. All that mattered was her little girls. Daphne and Dahila were now the joy of her life, and the best part of her life was being their mom.

Looking down at Daphne and Dahila who was fast asleep and nestled beside her, a radiant smile lit up Penelope's face. "My bundles of joy," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion as she leaned down and kissed their forehead.

Feeling her mother's lips, Daphne sleepily opened her eyes and returned the smile before

drifting back off, Dahila still sleeping soundly.

Looking into Daphne's deep blue eyes which she believed she had inherited from her father, the memory of her carefree night with the stranger surfaced.

She pushed the memory aside, not wanting to think about it or about the stranger who had given her the best sex of her life, and the best

gift of her life-her babies.

She didn't want to think about how she had slept with a stranger whose name she did not know, and whose face she could not remember, in a desperate attempt to numb the pain of betrayal.

No matter how great the sex had been, or the fact that she sometimes thought about how a perfect stranger had managed to make her feel so good, she didn't want to dwell on that.

Especially not when she wasn't even sure she would be able to recognize the stranger if ever she crossed paths with him again.

As the cab drove them to their reserved hotel, Daphne chattered endlessly as she looked out

the window asking questions which Grace happily answered, while Penelope was preoccupied

with her thoughts.

The taxi driver's voice snapped her out of her reverie. "Here we are, ma'am," he announced, pulling up in front of The Luxe Banks Palace hotel. Penelope thanked him, fumbling slightly as she paid the fare while Grace carried Dahila the sleeping beauty, while Daphne happily jumped out of the car.

As soon as Pen turned to go into the hotel, she paused when it suddenly dawned on her that she was standing in front of the same Hotel where she had spent the night with that stranger seven years ago.

When The Luxe Banks Palace had been recommended to her as a child-friendly Hotel, she had not thought much of it before making

reservations here.

Was it a coincidence that this was the first place she was staying after seven years away? The very same place she had spent her last night, and where her daughters had been conceived?

A knot of nervous excitement tightened in Pen's stomach. It was a strange coincidence, a full-circle moment that both unsettled and

exhilarated her.

Memories, bittersweet flickered at the edges of her mind but she quickly pushed them away and took a deep breath to calm herself.

As Pen and her little crew stepped into the hotel lobby, a uniformed figure materialized, whisking away their luggage with practiced

ease.

"Welcome to The Luxe Banks Palace, ma'am. Let me help with your bags," he offered, already lifting the suitcases.

Penelope nodded, murmuring her thanks before turning to Grace, "You all can sit over there while I check us in," Penelope instructed Grace.

The lobby buzzed with activity.

Taking Daphne's hand whose eyes were wide with wonder, and carrying Dahila on her shoulder, who is still sleeping soundly, Grace led her to a velvet sofa where they sat down, while Penelope approached the reception desk.

"Good evening. I have a reservation under Penelope Will." The receptionist, a young woman with a warm smile, began typing on her computer.

"Welcome, Ms. Will. Just a moment while I pull up your reservation. Meanwhile, Grace, Dahila and Daphne settled into a

plush loveseat in the lobby. Grace sat with a serene expression, observing Daphe as she gazed around, her wide blue eyes taking in the beauty of the hotel.

Across from them, a figure hunched over a phone caught Daphne's eye. Curiosity tugged at her, and she scooted closer to the edge of the sofa, her gaze fixed on the man.

As if sensing her stare, he lifted his head, a smile, warm and genuine, crinkled the corners of his eyes when he saw the little girl staring directly at him, her eyes bright with curiosity.

"Hello, little one!" Carlton greeted with a friendly smile as he looked over at the pretty little girl in front of him.

"Mister, holding that phone so close to your face is bad for your eyes!" She declared, her voice clear and piping as she pointed at his phone.

"Daphne" Grace scolded, but Carlton chuckled, a genuine sound that rumbled pleasantly as he lowered his phone, and Daphne's face lit up in response.

"Is that right?" he asked, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Who told you that, little one?" "My mommy," Daphne replied with the seriousness of a child imparting wisdom.

Carlton's gaze shifted to Grace, who was now watching the interaction with mild amusement.

He assumed she was the girls' mother and offered her a polite nod. Dahila was usually the calm one, content to sleep quietly, while Daphne could turn a place upside down within minutes. Then Carlton turned back to Daphne. "Well, your mummy is very wise.

Thank you for looking out for me, Daphne."

"How did you know my name?" Daphne asked, her eyes wide with wonder, and Carlton grinned.

"A little birdie told me," he said, even though he had just heard Grace refer to her as Daphne,

"Can I call you Daph?"

Daphne nodded enthusiastically. What's your name?"

"My name is Carl. Are you staying at the hotel, Daph?"

Daphne, ever eager to share, nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! We're going to have a really nice room," she said, her excitement bubbling over.

Carlton smiled. "That sounds wonderful. You and your sister should try out the hotel's playground. It's a lot of fun."

Daphne's eyes widened. "Playground?" Carlton chuckled. "Exactly! Slides, swings, a

whole jungle gym, it's a kid's paradise."

Daphne's excitement was tangible as she turned to look at Grace. "Can we go?" she pleaded, bouncing in her seat.

"If you're a good girl, we can go tomorrow," Grace promised while she patted Dahila's back.

"I promise to be good, I can't wait to tell Dahila when she wakes up, " and Carlton smiled.

Daphne turned back to him, "We have the same eye color, but my sister has my mommy's eyes" she told him, and Carlton nodded.

"That we do. Maybe it's a sign that we should be friends," he said, and she shook her head.

"I'm not supposed to be friends with strangers," she said, her expression innocent.

"I'm not exactly a stranger anymore since you know my name and we are going to be neighbors for some days since we both live here, " he explained.

"You live here too? Will your room be as nice as ours?" She asked, and Carlton laughed a deep, hearty sound.

"Yes, I do. I've been living here for years. And my room is the nicest in the Hotel," he said and her mouth formed a small 'o' of surprise,

"You don't have a mommy and a home?" "I do have a mommy and a home. This hotel is my home too because I own it."

Daphne's eyes grew even wider, and she was about to ask another question when Grace , who

had been listening to the exchange with a wary smile, exchanged a glance with Penelope, who

had just finished checking in and had signaled her to come along.

"It's time to leave, Daphne," Grace said as she rose, Dahila stirred awake and glanced around.

"Daphne, thank Mr Carl for his time," Grace said as she took Daphne's hand. "Thank you Mr. Carl," Daphne said and Carl smiled at her, and waved at Dahila who didn't return his gesture.

"Enjoy the playground before you leave," he said, and Grace gave him

a polite nod before walking away with

Daphne and Dahila.

Carlton leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful frown replacing his earlier smile. Although he was a lover of kids, the little girl, Daph, with

her bright eyes and bossy pronouncements, had

stirred something unexpected within him.

A warmth, a tenderness he couldn't explain, and for some reason, he wanted to see her again, but wasn't sure about Dahila's expression.

Carlton shook his head, dismissing the odd feeling as he returned his attention to his phone. This time, he made sure not to bring the phone too

close to his face.

"Mommy! Mommy! We can see everything from here!" Daphne exclaimed as they walked into their spacious, elegantly decorated room overlooking the city.

Penelope smiled, her heart swelling with love. "Yes, we can. It's a beautiful view." She said as she watched Daphne run to the window, pressing her nose against the glass.

The bellman set their luggage down and handed Penelope the room keys. "If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call the front desk."

"Thank you," Penelope replied, tipping him.

As he left, she turned to Grace. "You can drop Dahila, go freshen up and get some rest. I will take care of them. Tomorrow you'll have to watch them. I have a very important meeting tomorrow."

Grace nodded. "You don't have to worry about anything. We will be fine. We plan on exploring the playground tomorrow."

Penelope smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Grace. I don't know what I'd do without you," Penelope said as Grace walked away to her room.

"Dahila, I have a new friend," Daphne, who had been looking out the glass, rushed back excitedly to where Dahila sat, who was quietly scanning the room.

"Already?" Penelope asked, amused by Daphne's ability to befriend people so easily.

"Yes. His name is Carl, and he told me about the playground," Daphne said, and Dahila's face lit up, while their mother smiled.

"I see. Hopefully, you both will get to play with Carl at the playground tomorrow," Penelope smiled, assuming Carl was just another child staying at the hotel.

"Now, no more talking. Time to freshen up," Pen announced before Daphne could say anything else.

After settling the twins in for the night and making sure Grace was comfortable in the other room, Penelope took a moment to herself.

She stood by the window, looking out at the city she had once known so well.

The magazine she worked for had given her an important-almost impossible-task. One that was tied to her promotion.

She had been asked to convince the elusive billionaire CEO, Graham-Carlton Banks to agree to an interview.

This was a feat that no media house or reporter had been able to achieve, and she had to do it if she wanted to be promoted.

She had booked an appointment with Graham-Carlton Banks before traveling down, and the next morning, she would seize the opportunity that awaited her, but for now, she needed to rest and prepare her mind.

The next morning, after a quick breakfast, Penelope left the twin in Grace's care as she left the hotel for the Banks corp. As the cab drove through the city, navigating its way through the early morning traffic, Penelope looked through the window, feeling a wave of nostalgia wash over her.

The streets looked both familiar and strange at the same time, a reminder of how much time she had spent away from here.

Pushing away thoughts of the past, Pen focused on the challenges of the present. Since her waking hour, she has been trying to come up with different ways to convince Mr. Banks to have the interview with her and even as the cab rolled to a stop in front of the company, she still didn't have any idea how to go about convincing him.

What could she possibly say that would be different from everything he had heard over the years?

Even reporters far more experienced than she was had failed.

As she walked into the towering office building of Banks Corp, her nerves tightened.

Her mind was so focused on her meeting with Mr. Banks that she did not notice the familiar figure who she walked past until she heard her name.

"Penelope?"

She turned around when she heard the familiar voice and she saw him, Geoffrey. The man she had wasted years of her life on. The bastard who had tried to dupe her into marriage with him when he didn't love her.

He looked exactly as miserable as she could remember him, and the sight of him annoyed her even more now than it had several years ago. How did she ever fall for someone so disgusting?

How could she have forgotten that this was where he worked? In putting the past behind her, she had forgotten that Graham-Carlton was his cousin. Was Geoffrey going to be an obstacle?

She mused as she ignored him and turned to leave, but he grabbed her hand.

"Is this really you?" Geoffrey asked, his voice laced with disbelief. "What are you doing here after disappearing for years without even bothering to offer an apology or explanation as to why you called off the wedding?

Do you have any idea how much embarrassment you caused me and my family?" he demanded, and Pen's jaw tightened as she snatched her hand."

"If you do not want to cause a scene here, go on your way and act like you do not know me," she warned coldly, shocking Geoffrey. Before he could recover from his shock, she walked away and stepped into the elevator, hoping to avoid any further interaction with him.

The last thing she needed was a confrontation with Geoffrey, especially not now and definitely not here.

Geoffrey was confused and furious as he watched her leave. Without wasting any time, he whipped out his phone and dialed Hillary's number.

"You won't believe who I just ran into right now," he said the moment the call connected.

"Who?" Hill inquired, her voice curious. "Pen."

"Penelope? Are you sure?" Hill's voice spiked with surprise.

"Would I call you if I wasn't sure? I confronted her, but she totally ignored me," Geoffrey said, still feeling annoyed by her attitude.

"Where did you see her?" Hillary asked, a hint of skepticism in her voice.

"Right here at the company," he said,

wondering who she was there to see.

"I take it you don't know why she is there. Can you find out who she's there to meet and why?

And follow her when she leaves. I want to know where she's been hiding all these years. Hillary suggested.

"Sure. I will have to cancel my meeting first. I will call you later," Geoffrey said before hanging up.

While Geoffrey hurriedly headed for the elevator to see if he could catch up with Pen, she was being ushered into Carlton office by his secretary.

Taking a deep breath, Penelope pushed open the imposing office door, a tremor of nervousness running through her as she stepped into the office of the Elusive Graham-Carlton Banks.