Chapter 1

"Sign the papers."

The divorce agreement hit my chest and fluttered to the floor.

My father had been dead for exactly two hours.

Stellan Ashford, my billionaire husband of five years, didn't even look at my tear-stained face. His arm was wrapped tightly around his secretary, Lily.

And glittering on Lily's neck? My dead mother’s diamond choker—the one Stellan swore had been stolen six months ago.

"You have no family left. You have no money," Stellan said, his voice ice-cold. "Lily is carrying the Ashford heir. Stop wasting my time, Liora."

Lily stroked her belly, shooting me a triumphant smirk. "Don't be too sad. Some women just aren't meant to be mothers."

I stared at the man I had given my entire youth to.

My hand instinctively brushed against my black mourning dress. Hidden beneath the fabric were two tiny heartbeats.

Eight weeks along. Twins.

I didn't cry. I didn't beg.

I picked up the pen, signed my name, and walked out.

[THREE YEARS LATER]

The elevator doors opened to the top floor of Ashford Industries. I stepped out in my Valentino heels, my reflection sharp in the polished marble—a far cry from the broken woman who had fled this city with nothing.

"Ms. Vance, the board is ready for you."

I smiled. Liora Vance, founder of Lumina Tech, youngest self-made billionaire on the Forbes list. They had no idea the woman about to acquire their company was their former CEO's discarded wife.

The boardroom doors swung open.

And there he was.

Stellan Ashford. Still devastatingly handsome. Still wearing that cold, calculating expression. His eyes swept over me with mild interest—the way you'd look at a stranger.

He didn't recognize me.

Three years, a new name, and a complete transformation will do that.

"Gentlemen," I said, taking my seat at the head of the table, "let's discuss the terms of Ashford Industries' surrender."

Stellan's jaw tightened. "I don't surrender to anyone."

I met his gaze. "You will to me."

The door burst open. A frantic assistant rushed in, her face pale.

"Mr. Ashford! There's been an incident at Westbrook Academy. Your children—"

Stellan froze. "I don't have children."

But I did.

And somehow, my twins had just been enrolled in the same school as his.

The assistant looked between us, confused. "Sir, there are two children in the principal's office claiming Stellan Ashford is their father. They have your eyes. They have documents."

My blood ran cold.

I had hidden them for three years.

Someone had just exposed everything.