THE HEIR HE NEVER KNEW ABOUT

It was a beautiful Monday morning when Veronica finally decided that she could no longer ignore what had been happening to her body. For several days, she had been waking up feeling nauseous, and almost every morning, she found herself rushing to the bathroom to throw up. At first, she had convinced herself that it was nothing serious, but deep inside her heart, she had begun to wonder if there was another reason.

She had already told Richard that she was going to see the family doctor for a test.

“You keep throwing up every day,” Richard had said coldly. “At the end of the day, it might turn into a fever like it always does.”

Those words had remained in her mind.

Veronica had frowned, trying desperately not to cry in front of him. Yet the tears had escaped anyway, running down her cheeks. It hurt her deeply that the man she loved with everything inside her could speak to her as though she were nothing more than a burden.

She had spent years trying to be the perfect wife for Richard. She had endured his coldness, his insults, and the constant pressure from his family to produce an heir. Still, she had remained hopeful that one day he would look at her differently.

That morning, however, something inside her told her that her life was about to change.

At the hospital, Doctor Lucas, the Williams family's trusted physician who had treated the family for years, looked at her carefully.

“Mrs. Veronica, is everything all right?” he asked.

Veronica quickly wiped the tears from her face and forced a smile.

“Yes, Doctor Lucas. I am fine. I just want to know the result.”

Doctor Lucas looked at the test results again before raising his eyes toward her.

“Mrs. Veronica, congratulations.”

Her eyes widened.

“Congratulations?”

“Yes. You are one month pregnant.”

For several seconds, Veronica could not speak.

She simply stared at him.

“Did you say I am pregnant?” she finally asked, her voice trembling.

“Yes. You are pregnant, and I believe Richard will be very happy when he hears this wonderful news.”

A huge smile immediately spread across Veronica's face.

Pregnant.

She was pregnant.

She was carrying Richard's child.

Her hands trembled as she carefully folded the medical report, holding it as though it were the most precious piece of jewelry she had ever owned.

She stood up slowly, unable to stop smiling.

“Today will change everything in the Williams family,” she whispered to herself. “I will finally have my man back. He will finally see that I was never incapable of giving him a child.”

She walked out of the hospital with her hand resting protectively over her stomach.

On her way home, she suddenly changed her mind and drove to a baby clothing store.

The moment she entered, her eyes immediately moved from one tiny outfit to another.

She picked up a little shirt and smiled.

“Could it be a boy?” she whispered.

She placed it back and picked up a tiny dress.

“Or maybe a girl?”

The thought alone made her heart race.

For the first time in a long while, Veronica allowed herself to dream.

She imagined Richard holding their baby. She imagined his face when he heard the news. She imagined his family finally accepting her instead of calling her barren.

“This will prove everything,” she whispered.

She left the store with a smile on her face.

“Next is Richard hearing the news. The entire Williams family will know that I am not infertile. I can give them an heir.”

She returned to the mansion, completely unaware that the life she had imagined was about to collapse before her eyes.

The moment Veronica arrived at the Williams mansion, she noticed that Richard's car was already parked outside.

Her heart jumped.

“Richard is home early,” she said to herself.

A smile appeared on her face.

“Maybe Doctor Lucas already told him the good news. Maybe he came home because he wants to celebrate our child.”

Her excitement grew as she stepped out of the car.

“Veronica, calm down,” she whispered, placing both hands against her cheeks.

She walked into the mansion with her heart filled with hope.

She made her way toward the bedroom and placed her hand on the door handle.

“Richard,” she called softly.

She opened the door.

The smile disappeared from her face.

Her entire body froze.

Richard was there with Lynn, his former girlfriend.

The sight shattered something inside Veronica.

“Richard…”

Her voice was barely audible.

Richard quickly turned toward her.

“What are you doing here?” he asked coldly.

Veronica stared at him in disbelief.

“I should be asking you that question, Richard.”

Her eyes moved toward Lynn.

“You left your office early just to bring your ex-girlfriend into our matrimonial bedroom?”

Her voice broke.

“After everything I have done for you?”

Tears streamed down her face.

Lynn stepped forward, but Richard immediately stopped her.

“Lynn, stay aside. I will handle this.”

Veronica looked at the two of them, feeling as though the ground beneath her feet had disappeared.

She walked toward the wardrobe and began taking out a few of her belongings.

Richard watched her suspiciously.

“What do you think you are doing, Veronica?”

She turned toward him.

“Is there any reason for me to stay here?”

Her voice trembled, but she refused to lower her head.

“I have had enough, Richard. You constantly hurt me. You call me names. You threaten me with divorce. I have done nothing but try to be a good wife to you.”

She wiped her tears.

“I thought I could endure everything. I thought I could keep praying that you would change one day. But now I have walked into my own bedroom and found you with your ex-girlfriend.”

Richard showed no remorse.

Instead, he walked toward Lynn and placed his hand protectively over her stomach.

“She is carrying my heir,” he said.

Veronica stared at him.

“And you,” Richard continued, “have spent all these years proving that you cannot give the Williams family a child. Isn't that enough reason for me to consider you a liability?”

Veronica's hand instinctively moved toward her own stomach.

Her heart screamed the truth.

She was carrying his child.

She could have told him.

She could have shown him the medical report.

But as she looked into his eyes, she realized something.

He did not deserve to know.

Not yet.

“Then leaving is the best thing I can do,” she said quietly.

“Leave?” Lynn suddenly mocked.

Veronica ignored her.

She removed the wedding ring from her finger and placed it on the bed.

Then she removed some of the clothes Richard had bought for her and left them beside the ring.

“I don't want any of these things,” she said.

Richard stared at her.

“If you need more, I am ready to give it to you,” Veronica continued. “I cannot continue living with a man who has no respect for me.”

She picked up a small box containing a few of her clothes and belongings.

Richard laughed bitterly.

“I swear, Veronica, you will come back here begging me to take you back.”

Veronica looked at him for a long moment.

“Hmm.”

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

“Let's see who comes begging at the end.”

She turned around and walked away.

As she reached the entrance, she stopped and looked back at the mansion.

This was the place where she had entered as Richard's wife with dreams of building a family.

Now she was leaving with a broken heart and a secret growing inside her.

She looked toward the bedroom window and saw Richard's shadow.

He was watching her leave.

“You will look for me,” she whispered.

Then she turned around and walked away.

Richard remained by the window.

“She actually left,” he said in disbelief.

Lynn walked toward him.

“She had the courage to take her belongings and leave without begging you?”

Richard's eyes narrowed.

“She must be cheating on me.”

Lynn looked at him.

“Why would you think that?”

Richard shook his head.

“No woman who truly depends on her husband would leave this confidently.”

Lynn smiled and placed her hand on his arm.

“Then don't worry, Richard. I am fully here for you.”

Neither of them knew that Veronica was carrying the heir they had spent years demanding from her.

THE SECRET THAT FOLLOWED VERONICA

Three days later, Richard sat alone in his office, staring at the documents scattered across his desk without actually reading any of them. He had spent the last few days trying to convince himself that everything that had happened was already behind him. Veronica had left his house, Lynn was still beside him, and life was supposed to move forward.

Yet something felt strangely incomplete.

Richard leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead. There was a name he had been trying to remember, something important that had slipped from his mind. He closed his eyes, attempting to put the pieces together, but before he could remember, his phone suddenly rang.

He picked it up and looked at the screen.

It was Doctor Lucas.

Richard frowned before answering the call.

“Did Lynn visit the hospital?” he asked immediately.

“Good morning, Mr. Richard,” Doctor Lucas greeted politely.

“Please, go straight to the point. I am busy.”

Doctor Lucas paused for a moment. He was already used to Richard's impatient nature.

“You must have been celebrating after discovering that Veronica is expecting your baby.”

Richard's eyebrows immediately drew together.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean Veronica is pregnant. She is carrying your child.”

For several seconds, Richard remained completely silent.

The color slowly disappeared from his face.

“You mean Veronica is pregnant?”

“Yes,” Doctor Lucas replied. “I would have called you earlier, but I assumed she had already told you herself. I thought she would have shared the news with you.”

Richard did not wait for him to finish.

He ended the call and dropped the phone onto the table.

“My goodness…”

His voice came out barely above a whisper.

He stood abruptly and began pacing around the office.

Veronica was pregnant.

His wife was carrying his child.

The heir he had desperately wanted was already growing inside the woman he had allowed to walk out of his house.

“This cannot be happening,” Richard muttered, running both hands through his hair. “Not after I allowed her to leave.”

He stopped beside the window and stared outside.

For the first time, the reality of what he had done began to weigh heavily on him.

How could he have allowed Veronica to leave without knowing the truth?

How could he have pushed away the woman who was carrying the child he had always wanted?

The office door suddenly opened.

Lynn walked inside with a smile on her face. She approached Richard and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.

“You look worried again,” she whispered.

Richard barely reacted.

“That's because Veronica left my house with my baby.”

Lynn's hands immediately dropped from his waist.

She stared at him.

“What did you just say?”

Richard turned around slowly.

“Veronica is pregnant.”

Lynn's lips parted.

For a moment, she could not speak.

“So she is carrying his child,” she whispered to herself.

The hand she had been resting against Richard's back slowly fell to her side.

“But… are you sure?” she asked, trying to hide the panic in her voice. “Don't you think she might have gotten pregnant by someone else?”

Richard's expression hardened.

“No. I trust Veronica. She has always been faithful to me. She is not like you.”

The words struck Lynn like a slap.

Richard did not even notice the pain that crossed her face.

“My God,” he continued, pacing again. “What have I done to myself? How am I going to explain this to the Williams family?”

“And what about my baby?”

Richard stopped.

Lynn stepped closer, her eyes beginning to fill with anger.

“Yes, Richard. What about my pregnancy? If you suddenly care so much about Veronica's baby, does that mean you never loved me? Does that mean you don't care about the child I am carrying?”

“Look, Lynn,” Richard said impatiently. “Veronica is my legal wife. If there is anyone I am supposed to present to my family with an heir, it is Veronica. You were only supposed to come second if she remained unable to give me a child. But now she is pregnant. She has everything my family expects from her.”

Before he could say another word, Lynn raised her hand and slapped him across the face.

The sound echoed through the office.

Richard froze.

Slowly, he placed his hand against his cheek and stared at her in disbelief.

“You slapped me, Lynn.”

“Yes, I did.”

Lynn's chest rose and fell rapidly.

“You cannot use me and then throw me away when you no longer need me. I am not Veronica. You may have broken her heart and expected her to quietly walk away, but you will not do that to me.”

Richard stared at her.

“My child must come first,” Lynn continued firmly. “And you are going to present me to your family at the Williams Charity Gala.”

Richard's eyes widened.

“The gala is in three months.”

“I know.”

“My parents will be there.”

“I know that too.”

“And what exactly do you expect me to do?”

Lynn stepped closer.

“You will introduce me as the woman carrying your child. Otherwise, I will make sure every secret your family has buried comes to light.”

Richard's jaw tightened.

The woman standing before him was no longer the Lynn he thought he knew.

The war between them had officially begun.

Meanwhile, Veronica was trying to rebuild her life in a small apartment she had rented with the little money she had left.

She had recently secured a job as a cleaner at a reputable company. The work was not easy, especially because she was pregnant, but she refused to complain.

She needed money.

She needed independence.

And most importantly, she needed to stay away from Richard.

That morning, she was busy cleaning one of the offices when another employee laughed.

“She is sweeping so well because she is expecting something great from the CEO,” the woman joked.

Veronica smiled faintly and continued working.

That day was special because the company's owner was finally returning.

Mr. Alex Thompson, a sixty-year-old billionaire businessman, had been away for nearly three years. He had spent most of the time overseas handling international investments, expanding his business empire, and allowing his son, Mikel, to manage the company.

The entire staff gathered outside to welcome him.

A convoy of expensive vehicles entered the compound.

Everyone stood in silence as Mr. Alex stepped out of the main car.

His presence alone was enough to command attention.

Mikel stood beside him, ready to introduce the staff.

But before he could say anything, Mr. Alex's eyes suddenly landed on Veronica.

He stared at her.

Something about her face seemed strangely familiar.

“Who is she?” he asked.

Mikel turned.

“That is Veronica. She is one of our new employees.”

Mr. Alex continued staring.

“I feel like I have seen her somewhere before.”

Veronica's heart began beating faster.

She also recognized him somehow.

But she could not remember where.

Mikel approached her.

“You look familiar,” he said. “You seem to be connected to the Williams family.”

Veronica immediately shook her head.

“No, sir. I am new in this town. I don't know that family.”

Mikel studied her for a moment but did not press further.

“Nevertheless, that is not why I called you. My mother wants you to start cleaning our residence. Your work here has been excellent, and this will give you an opportunity to earn more.”

“As long as it pays more, I don't mind,” Veronica replied.

Mikel nodded.

“Good. You can leave immediately after my father finishes welcoming the staff.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Veronica lowered her head and prepared to leave.

But before she could take more than a few steps, Mr. Alex's voice suddenly stopped her.

“Wait.”

Everyone became silent.

Mr. Alex stared at Veronica with a strange expression.

“Aren't you Mr. Thompson's daughter?”

Veronica froze.

Her heart nearly stopped.

“Yes, sir,” she answered with a trembling voice.

Mr. Alex's expression changed instantly.

“And what is she doing with that on her body?”

His voice suddenly rose, shocking everyone around him.

“Father, what is going on?” Mikel asked worriedly.

Mr. Alex did not answer.

“Both of you,” he ordered, pointing toward Veronica and Mikel. “Come to my office immediately.”

Veronica's hands began to tremble.

She followed them slowly, desperately trying to remember where she had met Mr. Alex and why he had reacted so strongly upon seeing her.

THE ACCIDENT THAT SHOOK THE WILLIAMS FAMILY

Veronica had finally received the fortune her late father had left behind, the fortune Mr. Alex had carefully kept in his possession before his death. For years, Veronica had known that her father had built something valuable, but she had never imagined that the inheritance would be enough to completely change her life. Now that everything had been transferred into her name, she was determined to rebuild her life from the ground up.

She had already started putting plans into motion. She was establishing new businesses, meeting with investors, purchasing properties, and quietly building an empire that would soon make her name known far beyond the Williams family.

She no longer wanted to depend on anyone.

She had spent too many years being treated as though she had no value, and she had finally decided that the best revenge was to become someone nobody could ever look down on again.

Meanwhile, preparations for the Williams Charity Gala were already underway. The event was scheduled to take place in a week's time, and the entire Williams family was expected to attend.

But while the Williams family was busy preparing for the grand occasion, another secret was growing inside Lynn's stomach.

Her stomach had begun to protrude, making everyone believe that she was pregnant. But the truth was completely different.

The pregnancy was artificial.

Lynn had arranged everything through a hospital, using a procedure that would make her body appear pregnant. She had gone to great lengths to make sure nobody discovered the truth before she received what she wanted from the Williams family.

She was determined to secure her position.

On the other hand, Veronica had just visited her doctor for a medical examination. She sat quietly on the examination bed while Doctor Norah carefully examined the results of her scan.

After a few moments, the doctor looked up at her with surprise.

“The scan shows that you are carrying four babies,” Doctor Norah announced.

Veronica's eyes widened.

“Four?” she exclaimed.

“Yes,” Doctor Norah replied with a smile. “You are carrying quadruplets.”

Veronica placed her hand over her stomach, staring at the scan results in disbelief.

“So I am carrying his four children,” she whispered.

Her mind immediately went to Richard.

For a moment, she imagined Richard's reaction if he ever discovered that she was carrying four of his children.

But the thought quickly disappeared.

“This is not something their father will ever know,” Veronica said quietly.

Doctor Norah looked at her.

“You mean you do not plan to tell him?”

Veronica shook her head.

“I lost him in a car accident,” she replied without hesitation. “The children do not have a father.”

Doctor Norah's expression changed.

“Oh, I am sorry to hear that.”

“Thank you.”

Veronica stepped down from the examination bed and collected the scan results. She held the paper tightly in her hand as she walked out of the hospital.

Once she entered her car, she looked at the results again.

A faint smile appeared on her face.

“The Williams family will never see their grandchildren,” she whispered. “Not in their entire lives. And Richard will never set his eyes on my babies.”

She started the engine and drove away.

But Veronica did not know that someone had already decided that she would never reach her destination.

As the hours passed, she noticed a black car following her.

At first, she ignored it.

Then she changed lanes.

The black car changed lanes too.

She slowed down.

The black car slowed down.

Veronica's hands tightened around the steering wheel.

“Why is this car following me?” she asked herself. “Maybe I should drive faster.”

Fear slowly began to creep into her heart.

She pressed down on the accelerator.

The car behind her immediately increased its speed.

Veronica's breathing became heavier.

“Why are they still following me?”

Inside the black car were three men dressed completely in black. Their faces were hidden, and their eyes remained fixed on Veronica's vehicle.

They had only one instruction.

Destroy Veronica.

Lynn had sent them.

“Don't let her escape,” one of the men ordered.

Veronica continued speeding, desperately trying to lose them.

Suddenly, the black car moved beside her.

“What are you doing?” Veronica screamed.

The men slammed their vehicle against hers.

Her car swerved violently.

“No!”

She tried to regain control, but the vehicle was already moving toward the edge of the road.

The black car struck her again.

With one final push, Veronica's car went off the road and plunged into a deep pit.

“Nooooo!”

Her scream echoed through the air.

The vehicle crashed heavily at the bottom.

Within moments, flames erupted from the car.

The men stopped their vehicle and watched from a distance.

One of them pulled out his phone.

“Finally,” he said coldly. “We have achieved our aim.”

He immediately called Lynn.

“The job is done. We need our balance.”

Lynn was still speaking to him when Richard suddenly rushed into the room.

“Lynn!”

She turned around.

“What happened?”

Richard's face was pale, and panic was written all over him.

“I just heard that Veronica has been involved in an accident.”

Lynn's heart skipped for a completely different reason.

“What?”

“The media captured everything. The victim is Veronica.”

Lynn stared at him.

Richard continued speaking rapidly.

“And the doctor who examined her said she had just left the hospital after a scan. He said she was carrying four babies.”

Lynn's eyes widened.

“Four babies?”

Richard nodded.

“You mean quadruplets?”

“Yes.”

Lynn slowly sat down.

Richard's voice trembled.

“She told the doctor that their father was dead.”

Within three hours, the news had spread everywhere.

Social media exploded with rumors.

Some anonymous accounts accused Richard of treating Veronica badly during their marriage, claiming that she had been pushed to the point of declaring him dead.

Others said Veronica had simply wanted nothing to do with him anymore.

But the majority of people condemned Richard.

They called him heartless and cruel, especially because Lynn had appeared in his life so quickly after Veronica left the Williams household.

“You sound as if those children were heaven to you,” Lynn said bitterly, her jealousy becoming impossible to hide.

“Lynn, this is not the time to be jealous,” Richard snapped.

“A time to mourn a dead pregnant woman?” Lynn asked sarcastically. “Or a time to celebrate the fact that she told everyone you were dead?”

Richard stared at her.

“At least I have you,” Lynn continued. “One child from you will be better than ten thousand children the Williams family could ever have with Veronica.”

Richard grabbed his car keys.

“I am going to the accident scene.”

Lynn immediately stood up.

“And where do you think you are going?”

“I am going to find her body.”

“Her body?” Lynn laughed coldly. “What makes you think there will be anything left? Did you not see the media reports? The car was completely burned.”

Richard's jaw tightened.

“No matter what happened, I must find something. A piece of her, anything I can bury properly. She was my wife, and those were my children.”

“Your wife?” Lynn repeated, her voice filled with bitterness.

Richard looked at her.

“Do not try to stop me this time.”

Lynn picked up a glass of wine from the table.

“You are such a funny man, Richard. You love making a fool of yourself.”

She took a slow sip.

“You did not regard her as anything when she was alive. Now that she is dead, you suddenly want to make everything right. What do you think the world will call you?”

Richard ignored her and walked toward the door.

Lynn watched him.

“Go,” she said calmly. “Go search for the dead while I prepare to welcome my mother-in-law.”

Richard left without another word.

The moment the door closed behind him, Lynn's expression completely changed.

A wide smile spread across her face.

“Finally,” she whispered.

She walked toward the window and watched Richard drive away.

“My plan has finally succeeded. Veronica cannot come back to fight me for the inheritance.”

She laughed softly.

“Once my adopted baby is handed over to me, Richard will have no choice but to forget Veronica forever.”

Lynn raised her glass toward the window.

“You will come back and meet me here, Richard.”

She smiled confidently, completely convinced that Veronica was dead.

But somewhere beneath the burning wreckage, the truth was waiting to be discovered.