The Billionaire's Secret Quartet

Alaric cast a deep, lingering look at the child cradled in Kimberly's arms before glancing down at the little boy tugging at his jeans, pushing against him with his small hands.

Both children called Hertha "Mom," which meant... they were both Hertha's!

They looked so young, barely over a year old!

In the three years since Hertha had started seeing Spencer, how many other men had there been? Two kids already!

Deep down, Alaric had been holding onto a thread of hope for a reconciliation with Hertha. But seeing this, all his hopes shattered like ice on a lake blasted by a bomb. The jagged shards sliced through his heart, causing a raw, searing pain.

eyes-red and narrow with disappointment, anger, and resentment. Hertha's heart skipped beats under his stare, guilt rendering her speechless as her lips quivered, unable to form words. All her fears laid bare in that moment, overwhelming

his eyes brimming with unshed tears as he turned and strode away. "Hey, Alaric..." Kimberly called out from behind, hoping to stop him. But Alaric didn't look back, walking out and slamming

inside his own

He had clung to a sliver of hope for reconciliation with Hertha, which was why he had resisted marrying Georgia and had even faced off with his mother, risking his place in the Falconer family. But now, that sliver of hope

a moment of despair and helplessness washing over him. Leaning on the kitchen counter, head bowed, teeth clenched, and eyes reddened, Alaric took deep breaths, reminding himself it

all over her face as she

frustration evident in his voice,