Twenty minutes later, a black SUV pulled up outside Elena's building. The driver called her phone.

"Ms. Carter? I'm here to collect you and the children."

Elena looked at the packed bags by the door. She'd thrown together clothes and toys while Mia helped wake the confused twins. Liam kept asking questions she couldn't answer.

"Is this really necessary?" Mia asked, watching the suspicious car across the street.

"I don't know. Maybe Richard's just trying to scare me."

"But it's working."

Elena picked up Lily, who was half asleep.

"Come on, baby. We're going on an adventure."

"Where?" Liam asked, dragging his stuffed dinosaur.

"Somewhere safe."

The driver met them at the door, he was a large man who introduced himself as Marcus. Not her lawyer Marcus, a different one. He carried their bags and kept his body between them and the street as they walked to the SUV.

The suspicious car's engine started as they pulled away.

"They're following us," Elena said, her heart racing.

"Not for long," the driver replied. He made three quick turns, then pulled into an underground parking garage. The other car couldn't follow without being obvious.

They drove through tunnels until Elena had no idea where they were until fnally they stopped in front of a private elevator.

"This goes directly to your apartment," the driver said.

"Mr. Blackwood is waiting upstairs."

The elevator opened into a beautiful apartment, much smaller than Ethan's penthouse but still nicer than anywhere Elena had ever lived. It was rwo bedrooms, a modern kitchen, large windows with a view of the city. The furniture was already in place, and there were toys in the corner of the living room.

Ethan stood by the windows, still dressed despite the late hour. He turned when they entered.

"You came," he said, relief clear in his voice.

"Did I have a choice?" Elena set Lily down on the couch.

"What's going on, Ethan? Why is your father having us followed?"

"Because he thinks he can intimidate you into leaving." Ethan knelt down to Liam's level.

"Hey buddy. Sorry to wake you up so late."

"This is cool," Liam said, looking around.

"Is this a hotel?"

"Something like that. You'll stay here for a while, okay? Until things are safer."

Lily was fully awake now, clinging to Elena's leg. Ethan noticed and kept his distance, respecting her space.

"There's food in the kitchen," he said to Elena.

"The bedrooms are set up. Security is monitoring all entrances and no one gets in without clearance." He said to her.

"How long are we supposed to stay here?" She asked rubbing on Lily's small hands slowly.

"As long as necessary."

Elena wanted to argue but she was exhausted.

"Fine. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

He has told her that the paternity test is at ten and that he'll have a car ready at nine thirty.

After Ethan left, Elena got the twins settled in their new bedroom. It had two small beds with new sheets and blankets. Someone had even bought them new pajamas in the right sizes.

"Mommy, why does that man have toys for us?" Liam asked as she tucked him in.

Elena's throat tightened. "He's just being nice."

"Is he rich?"

"Very rich."

"Cool." Liam yawned. "I like him."

Elena kissed his forehead, her heart breaking. "Go to sleep, baby."

She sat in the living room after they were asleep, she was too wired to rest. The apartment was beautiful and comfortable, but it felt like a cage. Ethan controlled where she lived now, when she could leave, who could visit.

Her phone buzzed and a message from a number she didn't recognize, but she knew who it was.

Check the second bedroom closet. - E

Elena frowned and walked to the other bedroom. The closet was full of women's clothes, all in her size. It was Jeans, shirts, dresses, professional outfits for work. Everything she'd need.

Another message came through.

I remembered your style, If anything doesn't fit, just tell me.

Elena stared at the clothes, anger and something else mixing in her chest. He'd remembered her and afer five years, he still knew what she liked.

She typed back quickly. You can't just buy me a new wardrobe.

His response was immediate.

You left your apartment with one bag. You need clothes. This isn't about control, it's about practicality.

Everything you do is about control.

She waited for his response but none came. After ten minutes, she gave up and went to bed, but sleep didn't come easily.

The next morning, the paternity test was quick and painless. The technician swabbed the inside of the twins' cheeks while they sat on Elena's lap. They had only thought it was a game.

Ethan only watched from across the room

"Results in forty-eight hours," the technician said.

"We'll call with the findings."

"We already know what they'll say," Ethan said quietly after the twins were led to a waiting room with toys.

"Then why do this?"

"Because it needs to be official and Legal. I won't have anyone questioning whether they're mine."

Elena studied his face and he looked tired, like he hadn't slept either.

"What happens when it's confirmed?"

"We figure out how to be parents together."

"We can't even be in the same room without fighting."

"Then we'll learn." Ethan moved closer.

"Elena, I know you hate this. I know you feel trapped. But I'm not trying to take them from you. I just want to be their father."

"You should have been their father from the beginning."

"I would have been if I'd known they existed!"

His raised voice made Elena flinch. Ethan immediately backed away, running his hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell." He took a breath.

"I got something yesterday. From my father's old assistant, she said she had information I needed to see."

Elena waited.

"She gave me letters. Letters you sent me five years ago, dozens of them." Ethan pulled an envelope from his jacket.

"My father intercepted every single one. I never saw them. Elena, I never knew you were trying to reach me."

Elena's vision blurred with tears.

"I wrote you for months. Called your office every week. I thought you just didn't care."

"I cared." His voice broke. "God, Elena, I never stopped caring. I thought you hated me and wanted nothing to do with me. If I'd known..."

"But you didn't know. And now here we are."

They stood in heavy silence until Rebecca Walsh entered the room.

"The judge approved the temporary custody arrangement," she said.

"Joint legal custody, primary physical with Ms. Carter. Mr. Blackwood gets supervised visitation three times a week."

"Supervised by who?" Elena asked.

"By you, if you prefer. Or we can hire a professional."

"I'll do it," Elena said quickly. She didn't trust anyone else with her children.

Rebecca nodded

. "Then we're done here. Unless there are any questions?"

Elena had a million questions, but none Rebecca could answer.

That afternoon, Elena tried to work on the gala planning from the apartment. She had vendor meetings scheduled, menu tastings to organize, a million details to handle. But every time she tried to focus, her phone buzzed with another message from Ethan.

How are the kids?

Did Liam eat lunch? He's picky about vegetables.

Can I come by tonight? Just for an hour.

Finally she called him.

"How do you know Liam is picky about vegetables?"

"I've been reading parenting books. They say four-year-olds often resist certain foods. I thought..."

"Ethan, you can't learn four years of parenting from books in two days."

"I'm trying."

Elena softened despite herself.

"I know. Yes, you can come by tonight by Six o'clock."

Not to long after the call ended, a call came in. She guessed it was Ethan's father but she picked anyways.

"Ejoying your new apartment? Don't get comfortable. This isn't over. When I'm done, you'll lose everything, your business, your children, your freedom. Tick tock, Ms. Carter." The person said from the other end and the call ended before she could say anything.

A message came in later and it included a photo. It was taken through the apartment window, showing Elena, Ethan, and the twins exactly as they sat right now.

Someone was watching them.

Elena showed Ethan the message, her hands shaking. He stared at the photo, his jaw clenching.

"That angle is from the building across the street," he said.

"Top floor, maybe rooftop."

"How is this happening? You said this place was secure." Elena was almost shouting.

Ethan was already calling someone.

"Get building security up here now. Someone's watching from the east building. I want them found."

He hung up and looked at the twins, still playing innocently on the floor.

"Pack a bag. We're leaving."

"What? Where?"

"My penthouse. It's the only place with enough security."

"Ethan, no. We can't just...

"

"Someone is watching my children through a telephoto lens and threatening their mother. We're leaving, now."

Twenty minutes later they were in Ethan's penthouse. The twins thought it was exciting, running around the huge space like it was a playground but Elena felt like a prisoner.

Ethan's phone rang constantly. They were security, lawyers, people Elena didn't know. He stepped into another room to take a call while she tried to keep the twins occupied. Her life has just been fine for 4 years, for goodness sake, what did she get herself into?

"Elena." Ethan came back, his face pale.

"Turn on the TV to channel Seven."

She grabbed the remote with a sinking feeling. The news was on, and her own face filled the screen. An old photo from five years ago when she'd worked at Blackwood Enterprises.

"Breaking news tonight," the anchor said.

"Sources close to billionaire Ethan Blackwood confirm he's the father of secret twins born to his former assistant, Elena Carter. Ms. Carter, who disappeared five years ago, recently returned to New York and allegedly used the children to extort money from Mr. Blackwood."

"What?" Elena's voice came out as a whisper.

The story continued with supposed interviews from unnamed sources claiming Elena had demanded millions to keep quiet, that she'd deliberately gotten pregnant to trap Ethan, that she was a gold digger who'd planned everything from the beginning.

"This is insane," Elena said.

"None of this is true!"

Ethan was already on his phone again.

"Find out who leaked this. I want names in an hour." He looked at Elena.

"My PR team is already working on a statement. We'll fix this."

"Fix it? Ethan, they're calling me a gold digger on national television!" She barked in anger.

"Mommy, why is your picture on TV?" Liam asked.

Elena quickly turned it off.

"It's nothing, baby. Just boring grown up stuff."

But it wasn't nothing. Her phone started ringing immediately with nknown numbers, all of them. She turned it off but the damage was done.

"I need to call Mia," Elena said. "She's probably freaking out."

She used Ethan's landline. Mia answered on the first ring.

"Are you seeing this? It's everywhere! Twitter, Instagram, every gossip site. They're destroying you!"

"I know."

"Elena, clients are calling. Three of them already canceled. They don't want the drama."

Elena's stomach dropped.

"How many clients do we have left?"

"Two. And one of those is Blackwood Enterprises."

"So we're ruined."

"Not yet. But Elena, you need to do something. Make a statement, hire a PR firm, something."

After hanging up, Elena found Ethan in his office.

"My business is falling apart. Clients are dropping us because of this story."

"I'll compensate you for..."

"I don't want your money! I want my reputation back! I want people to stop calling me a gold digger and a liar!"

"Then let me fix this. My PR team can..."

"Your PR team probably leaked it!"

Ethan froze.

"What?"

"Think about it. Who benefits from this story? Who wants me to look bad?" Elena was pacing now, anger giving her energy.

"Your father. Or maybe Olivia. They want me gone and this is how they're doing it."

Ethan was quiet for a moment. Then he pulled out his phone and made a call.

"Olivia. We need to talk, now."

He put it on speaker.

"Darling," Olivia's voice came through, sweet as poison.

"I saw the news. How unfortunate." She said from the other end.

"Did you leak it?" He asked impatiently

"Me? Why would I do that?" She said

"Answer the question."

"Ethan, you're being paranoid. Though I must say, the timing is interesting. Right when you're trying to establish custody. Makes the mother look quite unstable, doesn't it?"

"If I find out you had anything to do with this..."

"You'll what? Break our engagement? Please. That ship has already sailed." Olivia laughed. "

Face it, Ethan. You're not the only one with resources and connections. Maybe someone decided the public deserved to know the truth about your little assistant."

The line went dead and Elena felt sick.

"She did this."

"I'll handle Olivia."

"How? She's already won! Everyone thinks I'm a liar and a gold digger and..."

A crash from the living room cut her off. They both ran out to find Lily crying and Liam standing over a broken vase.

"I'm sorry!" Liam said, tears streaming down his face.

"I didn't mean to! We were just playing and..."

"It's okay," Ethan said, kneeling down.

"Accidents happen. Are you hurt?"

"No, but Lily fell."

Elena scooped up Lily, checking her for cuts. She was fine, just scared. "You're okay, baby. Everything's okay."

That night, after the twins finally fell asleep in Ethan's guest room, Elena sat alone in the massive living room.

Ethan found her there an hour later. He sat down, keeping a respectful distance.

"My lawyers found something," he said.

"The leak came from inside Blackwood Enterprises. Someone in PR sold the story to the media for fifty thousand dollars."

"Who?"

"A junior associate named Tim Bradshaw. He's been fired, but the damage is done."

"Did Olivia pay him?"

"We're investigating. But Elena, there's more." Ethan pulled out his phone and showed her an email. "This came to my personal account an hour ago."

Elena read it, her blood turning cold.

Mr. Blackwood, I have evidence that Elena Carter has been planning this reunion for months. She researched your company, deliberately submitted a proposal she knew you'd accept, and orchestrated this entire situation to force you into her life. I'm willing to share this evidence for the right price. Contact me if interested.

"This is crazy," Elena said. "I didn't plan any of this! I didn't even know it was your company until after I submitted the proposal!"

"I know."

"Do you? Because someone is trying very hard to make me look like a manipulative liar."

Ethan took her hand. She almost pulled away but his grip was gentle, grounding.

"I believe you. But someone is coming after you hard, and we need to figure out who and why."

Elena's phone, which she'd turned back on, suddenly buzzed with dozens of notifications. Her social media accounts were being flooded with hate messages.

She turned the phone off, her hands shaking.

Later someone who had probably been trying to reach her called through Ethan's phone. It was her lawyer, and he said he was with Mia in the hospital!

Elena's heart stopped. "What? Why? Is she okay?"

"She was mugged outside her apartment an hour ago. Two men, they took her phone and laptop. She's bruised but not seriously hurt. But Mr. Blackwood, they specifically asked about Elena's location. They wanted to know where she and the children were staying."

Elena couldn't breathe.

"Oh my god. Mia."

"She didn't tell them anything," Marcus continued.

"But this wasn't a random mugging. They knew who she was."

After hanging up, Ethan made three calls in rapid succession. More security for Mia, a police investigation, protection details for everyone close to Elena.

"This has escalated beyond reputation damage," he said.

"Someone wants to physically harm the people around you. To isolate you."

"Your father."

"Maybe. Or Olivia. Or someone else entirely." Ethan looked at her seriously.

"Elena, until we figure this out, you and the twins can't leave this building. It's not safe."

She wanted to argue but it was getting too much for her to handle.

A loud alarm suddenly blared through the penthouse as the red lights flashed.

"Fire alarm," Ethan said, checking his phone.

"But there's no fire. Someone pulled it manually."

"The twins!"

They both ran to the guest room. Liam and Lily were awake and crying, scared by the noise and lights.

"It's okay," Elena said, gathering them.

"Just a false alarm."

Ethan was on his phone with building security. His face went pale when he heard that the security cameras on this floor went dark two minutes ago and that someone cut the feed.

"What does that mean?"

"It means someone is in this building. Someone who knows how to bypass security."

A knock on the penthouse door made them all freeze.

"Mr. Blackwood?" A woman's voice called through. "Building security. We need to evacuate the floor. There's been a breach."

Ethan looked at Elena, then at the twins and he immediately told her to get them to the panic room.

"What panic room?"

"Behind the bookshelf in my office. Press the fourth book from the left on the second shelf. It opens to a safe room." Ethan was pulling a gun from somewhere.

"Take them and don't come out until I say it's safe."

"Ethan..."

"Now, Elena!"

She grabbed the twins and ran.