The Billionaire's Secret Quartet

When Hertha caught a glimpse of her darling's eyes, a mirror image of Alaric's, and saw the soft, chubby cheeks framed in innocence and childlike wonder, her heart swelled with love. But then, in a flash, her smile vanished, replaced by a wave of panic and dread.

Her little one blinked her big, round eyes and looked up at Helena with serious intent. Crouching down to eye level, Hertha said with gravity, "Alaric is a stranger, sweetie. I don't know him, and you have nothing to do with him. Mommy won't mention that man again, okay?"

Hertha spoke with a firm seriousness, and Thalassa barely held back a laugh.

Wasn't Hertha spilling the beans here?

Fortunately, her two little treasures were just two years old, still blissfully unaware and far from the child prodigies that Thalassa's four munchkins were. Otherwise, any bright child could have pieced together the man's identity from Hertha's words alone, 'you have nothing to do with him.'

But Helena and Julian were too young, at the tender age of two, to read between the lines. They could only understand the literal meanings of words, not the subtext.

Helena, tilting her head cutely and looking up with sparkling eyes, said in her soft, adorable voice, "Mommy, you should talk about him. You look so happy when you do, and I like it when you're happy."

chimed in, clutching a toy

soft heads with tender affection, her lips curving into a smile as she said, "As long

be by your side, as your little angels!" Julian and

endearing expressions were like those of two little penguins, utterly adorable, making anyone yearn to

always do everything to protect you. I'm going to have a chat with Aunt Thalassa, so you scamps go on and play," Hertha said gently.

PLAY YOUR

EPICPLAY

children gone, Hertha turned to Thalassa, her expression serious. "It's

even know where you lived?" Thalassa asked, her

remember that time at the Starhaven Hotel? I bumped into him, and he offered to drive me home. I refused, but

though he wasn't just toying around. "Serious about me? He's engaged and still wants to mess around with me. What do you think he's up to?" Hertha replied,