"What?" He blinked.
But Elena was still consumed by frustration.
"You were completely out of control!" She smacked his arm again.
"Ouch..."
The man who had looked like a terrifying predator moments ago suddenly looked almost helpless in front of his furious wife.
"You didn’t listen to me at all. You just did whatever you wanted."
She raised her hand to strike him again.
This time, he caught her wrist.
"Wait."
He stared at her.
"You said something."
Elena scowled at him. She could barely restrain her rage. "I said you lost your mind."
"Not that. Something else..."
Heat flooded her face, leaving her cheeks burning in frustration. "Stop hitting him. I told you. But you went after him yet again. Do you want to end up in jail?"
"Yes, right after that..."
"What are you talking about?" She frowned in confusion.
Elias tilted his head. "You said I could end up in jail. And then you said those things."
Elena was still confused.
"You said..." He paused. "What will happen to you and our children?"
His eyes widened slightly. "You said our children?"
Elena froze. Only then did she realize what she had blurted out.
Her lips parted. Then she slowly closed them.
’Shit,’ she cursed under her breath.
She had imagined telling him in a completely different way. She had wanted to surprise him with a romantic dinner, a beautifully wrapped gift, and a handwritten note.
"Elena..." He shook her slightly, grabbing her shoulders. "Are you pregnant?"
Elena looked into his eyes. Her heart fluttered. She lowered her gaze, suddenly shy after all the anger and panic of the past few minutes.
Then she nodded.
"What?" His heart seemed to stop for a second. "Say it clearly."
"I am pregnant," she affirmed.
His heart skipped a beat. A stunned smile slowly spread across his face.
Everything suddenly made sense. Her discomfort over the past few days, her unusual fatigue, the way she had seemed restless in the mornings, and even the nap she had taken at the office—a habit completely unlike her.
He had noticed all of it. But he had been too consumed by the crisis at the office to understand what it meant.
She had been pregnant all the time.
And he...
He had been so caught up in work that he hadn’t even realized she needed him.
Joy flooded his chest, quickly followed by guilt. He pulled her into his arms.
"I am sorry. I am sorry."
"Sorry?" Elena chuckled. "I just told you I’m pregnant, and you’re apologizing to me? What’s wrong with you?"
"Because..." Elias cupped her face, his fingers trembling slightly. "I’ve been so busy lately. I didn’t give you enough time. I didn’t even take you to the hospital when you weren’t feeling well."
"Elias..." She placed a finger against his lips. "You did nothing wrong. You were dealing with something important. Don’t blame yourself."
She took his hand and gently placed it over her stomach. "I’m carrying twins."
Elias went completely still. His expression was caught between half amazed and half shocked. "Twins?"
Elena grinned, nodding vigorously. "Yes. We are having two babies."
For a few seconds, Elias simply stared at her. Then an enormous smile broke across his face.
"Really?" His voice was filled with pure disbelief and happiness. "Two babies?"
Elena chuckled and confirmed, "Yes."
"This is..." He laughed, overwhelmed. "This is the best news I’ve ever heard."
He held her face between his palms and kissed her.
Elena wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, smiling through her tears.
A short distance away, Noah watched them. His hands slowly curled into fists.
The sight of Elena kissing and hugging another man so passionately tore through him.
He felt no joy for her. All he felt was bitterness, jealousy, and a growing resentment.
His gaze hardened.
’Elena is mine. I lost her once. I won’t lose her again.’
Even after everything she had said, Noah still refused to accept that she had truly moved on.
’I’ll take her back anyway.’
He got into the car and drove away.
After a long, breathless kiss, they finally pulled apart, their breathing still uneven. They looked at each other for a moment and then broke into laughter.
"Oh, Heaven. You are carrying my twins." He couldn’t stop smiling. He looked at her as though he still couldn’t believe it. "Elena, you have no idea how happy I am.’
Elena reached into her handbag and pulled out the medical report, carefully taking out the sonography plate.
"Look."
Elias took it from her.
"These are our babies. The doctor showed me this and told me I was carrying twins. At first, I couldn’t believe it. But then..."
She touched her stomach. "I suddenly felt so happy. Two tiny lives are growing inside me. It’s such an incredible feeling."
"I know." Elias leaned down and pressed a tender kiss against her forehead. "I promise I’ll spend more time with you. From now on, I’ll take care of you myself."
Elena giggled. "I can take care of myself. Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to our babies."
"I trust you. I believe that you will protect them." His expression slowly turned serious. "But I don’t trust everyone around you. There are people trying to hurt you."
His voice deepened. "Those shameless people will go to any lengths to bring you down."
Elena wasn’t frightened. Instead, she smiled confidently.
"I am not afraid." She smiled confidently. "Because I believe you. You will always protect me."
Pride and adoration filled Elias’s chest.
Her trust in him was more powerful than any reassurance.
It gave him strength.
"I won’t disappoint you. Ever."
He lowered his head and kissed her again.
While they were engrossed with each other, Marcus fumed in frustration.
His team had spent hours trying to recover the backup surveillance footage. But they had failed.
Someone had already deleted it secretly.
"Damn it..." He ran a hand through his hair, cursing under his breath. "Mr. Rowan gave me the ultimatum. If I can’t give him the footage by tomorrow, he will be furious. He may even fire me."
He dropped heavily into his chair. "What should I do?"
He leaned over his desk and covered his face with both hands. His mind raced through every possibility.
The surveillance system had been compromised. Someone had gone to great lengths to erase every trace.
Just as Marcus was beginning to lose hope, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen.
An unknown number flashed on the screen. His brows furrowed.
"Who is it?" His voice was sharp with irritation.
"I know you are trying to recover the surveillance footage." A woman’s voice came from the other end. "Sadly, that footage has already been deleted."
Marcus immediately straightened. "Who are you? And how do you know that?"
"You don’t have time for questions. If you really want to help your boss, come to Hotel Maridian Plaza. Room B-11."
The line went dead.
Marcus stared at his phone. For several seconds, he didn’t move. Suspicion and surprise mixed on his face.
"Who is this woman? And how is she going to help me?"
He was confused, and at the same time, anxious. "Should I trust her?"
Could this woman really have a way to help him? Or was this a trap?
He hesitated for a moment. But then he remembered Elias’s warning.
He had less than twenty-four hours. And so far, he had nothing to show his boss. If he stayed here doing the same thing, he would only waste more time.
"Maybe she has something useful. I have to take this risk."
He stood up. Determination replaced the uncertainty in his eyes.
"I have to meet her."
Marcus strode out of his office.