After twenty years of being child-free, my company, Gregory Corp., was finally about to go public.

That day, Melanie, my wife, came home with a pair of twins.

"Zach, these are my children. They're twenty-two now. We're not getting any younger, and it's time to hand the company over to them."

I stared at her, shocked. She wouldn't meet my eyes. One minute, she said having the kids was for my sake, and the next, she called it an accident.

But she forgot one thing. Back then, it was her idea to stay child-free. Melanie said she was terrified of childbirth and all the pain that came with it.

And so, I went along with it.

Right then, she dropped the bomb. "If you don't agree, we'll divorce. I'll take half the company."

Melanie grabbed the twins, almost like she was making a point, and added, "You can't take the company or the shares to the grave. You should be grateful I had the foresight to give birth to these two."

Her words stung, but I didn't respond right away.

Instead, I turned and dialed my secretary's number.

"Ms. Monroe, make my DNA information public worldwide. I'm going to find every one of my children."

——

The next morning, the fraternal twins, with their striking resemblance to Melanie, sat at the dining table, waiting for me.

They handed me a share transfer agreement.

Then, the girl said boldly, "Uncle Zach, we're Mom's children. As her spouse, you should recognize our inheritance rights. You're getting older, and you don't have any biological children. If you treat us well, we'll take care of you in your old age. We'll make sure you're taken care of when you're gone."

I stared at the girl.

Her face looked nearly identical to Melanie's. She couldn't meet my eyes, her gaze flickering with guilt but refusing to connect with mine.

It was clear now, no denying it anymore.

"Melanie," I said, my voice cold. "You really think you have a right to a share of this company? Two illegitimate children? Do you think they deserve to inherit Gregory Corp.?"

Since we got married, Melanie has never worked a day. She always claims health issues. When she isn't at the spa, she's shopping, gambling at the casino, or jetting off on vacations.

It was I, through sleepless nights and working tirelessly until I nearly bled, who built Gregory Corp. from the ground up.

The four of us sat in tense silence.

Then the boy spoke up, breaking the quiet. "Uncle Zach, if you won't accept us, we won't force you. We only want what belongs to our mother."

The girl added, "Legally, we can't inherit your estate. But if Mom divorces you, she'll still get half, right? You might as well be generous and acknowledge us. Let us inherit the company. Out of respect for Mom, we won't throw you out when you're old."

They exchanged glances. I stayed quiet, a sneer curling at the corner of my mouth.

They had been waiting for this moment for twenty-two years. Showing up now so boldly, it was clear they had studied the law and knew exactly when to make their move.

If we divorced, Melanie would walk away with half of everything. The IPO wouldn't just fail to go public; it would collapse. All those early investments would go to waste.

Such calculation. Such cruelty.

In the heavy silence that followed, Melanie scolded the twins, "Archie, don't talk to Uncle Zach like that. He doesn't have any children of his own. Of course, he'll come to love you."

Then she looked at me, her voice softer, as she continued, "Honey, look, it's already come to this. Archie and Noelle both graduated from top American universities. They're thoughtful and well-behaved. You'll need heirs someday. As long as you give them the company, they'll be your children. They'll take care of you when you're older. I promise."

I let out a cold laugh.

Melanie cheated on me, had children outside of our relationship, and now she expects me to thank her for leaving me an 'heir'?

What was I supposed to do? Thank her?

Or else, what—be thrown out onto the street in my old age to scavenge for scraps?

After twenty years of marriage, I looked at Melanie, still youthful and well-maintained, and realized I had grown old.

I turned my gaze back to the twins.

Then, I asked the one question that cut through everything.

"Where's your real father?"

Archie curled his lips into a knowing smile.

"Uncle Zach, my dad's overseas. He's not coming back for now. He doesn't want to upset you."

I narrowed my eyes at him. The kid was dressed from head to toe in designer brands. After twenty years in business, I could easily see the mockery in his eyes. It was obvious: if his father showed up, I'd get jealous, throw a fit, and make a scene.

He tilted his chin slightly, looking at me with disdain.

"Uncle Zach, at your age, you really shouldn't be throwing tantrums over love and relationships. It's embarrassing."

This little brat thought he had me cornered. No wonder he was so arrogant.

I let out a cold laugh.

"So, your real dad couldn't give you the wealth and status you wanted, and now you want to call me your father? Don't you think that's a little embarrassing?"

Melanie's face twisted with anger. But before she could snap, Archie slammed his palm on the table.

"Zachary!" Melanie shouted.

Without warning, Archie splashed the soup right into my face.

I didn't flinch. I just stared back at them, calm and steady.

Melanie's eyes blazed with pure disapproval, her voice sharp as a whip.

"Zach, how can you talk about Hector like that? He gave up his career to raise these kids. Do you even understand the sacrifices he made? How can you humiliate him like this in front of them?"

Noelle, wearing a complete Chanel set, shot up from the table.

Her expression was proud, defiant. "What's the point of arguing? Our dad may not be rich, but he has Mom's love, and he has us. Once we take over the company, he'll have everything."

She folded her arms and glared at me.

Noelle added, "If anyone dares to disrespect our dad, my brother and I won't hesitate to break their legs and feed them to the fish."

I locked eyes with their smug, self-righteous faces.

So this is how illegitimate kids act these days?

Melanie never stopped surprising me.

She quickly tried to calm them down, speaking in a soft, patient tone before turning to face me.

"Zach, now you've seen it firsthand. The kids are truly respectful and well-behaved. If you treat them like your own, they’ll treat you like their father."

Her voice grew more serious as she added, "Hector didn't have it easy. That night, we were both drunk. The kids were an accident. I wanted to terminate the pregnancy, but Hector talked me out of it. He promised it wouldn't affect our marriage, that he'd raise them himself."

She paused, looking at me with pleading eyes. "Zach, please understand. Hector couldn't bring himself to harm two innocent lives. Without him, Archie and Noelle wouldn't even exist…"

As she spoke, her eyes reddened and her voice caught.

Listening to her twisted justifications, I was about to explode.

Still unwilling to let go, I asked her one final question, "What do you want, exactly?"

Melanie hesitated, her eyes searching the room, before finally muttering, barely above a whisper, "Hector's been living overseas for over twenty years. The kids are used to staying with him. I'd like to give him the villa in the suburbs. I'll spend Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with them... Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays with you. Sundays will be based on how I feel."

I clenched my fists, and the last shred of hope evaporated.

"So, you want one big happy family? Fine. Let's divorce."

Melanie's face shifted as she replied, "Zach, I told you that it was an accident. I still love you. We've been married for twenty years. Could you really bear to end it?"

I cut her off, my words sharp and cold, "Melanie, who do you think you are, Cleopatra? You've got some nerve!"

All these years, she used my money to support a boy toy and raise his illegitimate children. And now she wants to keep a second household while still having me bankroll everything?

Those two bastards looked at me with nothing but contempt. I'm not blind. God only knows how many years they've spent mocking me behind my back.

I was actually considering it. If it really were just a one-time mistake, maybe I'd throw some money at it and move on.

I was the first to fall in love with Melanie. I had loved her for twenty years. Even though it hurt, I was still willing to give her a chance.

But now, it was crystal clear that it had always been one-sided. Her heart and her eyes were filled with Hector and his kids.

Melanie didn't turn down the divorce because she couldn't stand to leave me. She declined because she couldn't bear giving up her golden goose.

Seeing that my words had taken a sharp turn, Melanie's face darkened.

Melanie gritted her teeth, and finally, she played her trump card.

"Zachary, if you go through with this divorce, I'll take half of everything. You can forget about taking the company public."

Melanie had figured everything out perfectly. She knew how much the company meant to me. It was like my own child, something I had poured my heart and soul into, and I had spent three long years preparing for its IPO. She was betting that I wouldn't be able to let it go, betting that I couldn't let her go. She thought I would give in.

But what she didn't know was that I had more than one child, and not just the company.

I had countless others.

Seeing the shift in my expression, Melanie softened her tone again, like she always did when she wanted something from me.

"Zach, you know I love you. Or else, why would I leave the kids behind and stay with you for twenty years? I just made a mistake. It doesn't mean I don't love you anymore."

She kept going, weaving her words like a silk thread, trying to make it all sound so reasonable.

"You always said that when we got older, we'd leave the company behind and travel together. We'd see the rivers and mountains of our homeland. Now we have heirs. They can help you manage the business. They carry my blood, and their character is strong. Better them than some outsider."

If I hadn't noticed the glances she kept throwing at the kids and the silent signals between them, I might have believed her for a moment. But I saw right through it.

The calculation in her eyes, how she was using her love to manipulate me, and now, how she was using her children to control the situation.

But that brief flash of calculation in all three of their eyes?

That wasn't something they could hide.

From the moment she proposed the child-free marriage all those years ago, she had been planning for this day, waiting for me to grow older and lose my ability to have children.

Then she'd pressure me, lure me in, bring in her boy toy, and those illegitimate kids to slowly take everything I'd built.

They had been mocking me behind my back for years, calling me a stupid, love-blind fool, doomed to die alone.

I didn't say anything as they left, all high spirits and smiles.

Her social media showcased a parade of happiness: the joyful 'family of three' on a shopping trip, Hector's victorious return at the airport, accompanied by 999 roses.

For three days straight, Melanie didn't come home.

I knew she was holed up at The Lakeside Mansion, completely lost in her bliss.

Every day, she messaged me to remind me to transfer the company shares—always ending with a kissy-face emoji.

[Honey, Hector just got back, everything's still new for him. Once I get things sorted, I'll come back to you. Love you! -xxx]

I watched coldly as she bought Hector a luxury car and an expensive watch. I saw him smugly post peace signs on social media.

The caption read:

[Twenty years of storms. Finally, we can embrace each other in the open.]

Scum like him aren't just manipulative. They're good at hiding it.

After twenty-two years, Hector didn't have to pretend anymore.

And so, I calmly liked his post.

That one small gesture was enough to convince them I'd given in.

The twins are taking over the company? That was a done deal in their minds.

After all, if I divorced her, I would lose my money, our marriage, and everything else. It might be better to stay and try to earn some affection.

Besides, I was already in my fifties. What good was more money if I had no one to inherit it?

Melanie had already begun reaching out to reporters, scouting locations, and organizing a press conference.

Meanwhile, Charlotte, my secretary, came to pick me up, carrying a thick stack of documents.

Then, Melanie smiled and gave me her final reminder.

"Be careful with the IPO process. Once it succeeds, the market value will jump by a billion. Then Archie and Noelle will have a much easier time taking over."

Charlotte replied with a smile, "Yes, having family to rely on definitely makes things easier, especially blood relatives."

Melanie didn't catch the edge in Charlotte's tone. She thought I'd already told her everything.