Chapter 2 - The Cole Fortress
Twenty-four hours later, Sienna was stabilized in the Intensive Care Unit, placed in a medically induced coma to allow her lungs to heal from severe pneumonia compounded by chronic exhaustion.
Adrian hadn't slept a single minute.
Standing in the grand living room of his penthouse overlooking the skyline, he watched as his personal staff carefully unpacked three small, worn suitcases.
The triplets sat side-by-side on his imported leather sofa. They looked entirely out of place surrounded by minimalist Italian furniture, abstract art pieces, and pristine white marble. Yet, they sat with the same quiet composure that had startled him at the hospital.
Maya was the observer, her sharp eyes scanning every corner of the vast room. Chloe was the gentle one, carefully swinging her small feet while clutching a worn stuffed bunny. Lily sat silently, her notebook open on her lap, holding a yellow crayon, scribbling something with intense concentration.
"Mr. Cole," his private assistant, Harrison, whispered, stepping quietly beside him. "The DNA results from the expedited lab have arrived."
Harrison handed him a sealed envelope. Adrian didn't need to open it—he already knew what it said—but he tore the paper open anyway.
Probability of Paternity: 99.99%
Adrian closed his eyes tightly, crushing the paper in his fist. Three daughters. He had three seven-year-old daughters.
"Have my security team double the guards at the entrance of the building," Adrian ordered softly. "And tell the hospital staff that no one—and I mean absolutely no one—is allowed into Sienna's room without my express written permission. Especially my mother."
"Understood, sir," Harrison replied. "However... Mrs. Victoria Cole has already called the office five times today. She heard rumors that you brought three children to the penthouse."
"Let her call," Adrian said, his tone dropping an octave, cold and dangerous. "She will not step foot in this building."
Adrian walked over to the sofa and knelt on the plush rug in front of the girls. "Are you hungry?" he asked, attempting a gentle tone he had never used in his life. "My chef can make anything you want. Pancakes? Pizza?"
Chloe looked at Maya, waiting for her sister to speak.
Maya looked at Adrian squarely. "Why are we here? You're the rich man from the hospital. Mama said if she ever got sick, we should trust you. Are you our doctor?"
Adrian felt a sharp pang in his chest. Sienna had told them to trust him, despite everything he had failed to do.
"No, Maya. I'm not a doctor," Adrian said softly, reaching out slowly, hesitating before gently touching Maya’s small shoulder. "I'm... someone who loved your mother very much a long time ago. And I am going to take care of you while she gets better."
"Are you our father?"
The question came from Lily. It was the first time the quiet girl had spoken directly to him. She didn't look up from her notebook, but her crayon had stopped moving.
The room went dead silent.
"Yes, Lily," Adrian answered, his voice trembling slightly. "I am your father."
Lily slowly turned the notebook toward him. On the page was a drawing of three small girls standing outside a big glass house. Beside them was a tall, shadowed figure holding an umbrella over them, keeping the rain away.
Before Adrian could say another word, the penthouse doors burst open with a loud clatter.
"Adrian!" a sharp, aristocratic voice echoed through the high-ceilinged foyer.
Victoria Cole stepped into the room, draped in an immaculate beige cashmere coat, her pearl necklace gleaming under the chandelier. Behind her, two security guards looked panicked, unable to stop the matriarch of the Cole family.
Victoria’s sharp eyes instantly locked onto the sofa—and the three little girls sitting upon it.
Her face drained of color as she caught sight of those unmistakable grey-blue eyes staring back at her.
"My God," Victoria breathed, stepping forward, her hand fluttering to her throat. "It's true. She actually had them..."
May you like
Adrian stood up smoothly, placing his tall frame directly between his mother and the triplets, his expression transforming into an impassable wall of ice.
"Get out of my house, Mother," Adrian said, his voice dangerously low. "Before I have you thrown out."
