She Went to End a Six-Week Pregnancy—Then the Mafia Boss Learned She Was Carrying His Triplets
PART 2
“How do you know that?”
Vivien’s voice cracked.
For the first time since arriving at the mansion, Dominic looked away.
Only for a second.
But she noticed.
People like Dominic Ashford didn’t look away.
Not unless something mattered.
“I had someone watching over you.”
The words hit her harder than the kidnapping.
“What?”
His expression remained unreadable.
“After the wedding.”
The room felt smaller.
Colder.
“You had me followed?”
“No.”
The answer came too quickly.
Then he corrected himself.
“Not followed.”
Vivien laughed bitterly.
“That sounds exactly like being followed.”
A muscle tightened in Dominic’s jaw.
“I needed to know you were safe.”
“You disappeared.”
The accusation hung between them.
Heavy.
Painful.
For the first time, genuine regret appeared in his eyes.
“I know.”
“You left without a phone number.”
“I know.”
“You never called.”
“I couldn’t.”
Vivien stared.
The answer made no sense.
Dominic Ashford looked like a man who could buy countries.
Nothing stopped men like him.
Except maybe something bigger.
Something dangerous.
“Why?”
Silence.
The grandfather clock in the corner ticked loudly.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then Dominic walked toward the window.
Rain struck the glass.
Dark clouds rolled above the estate.
Finally he spoke.
“Because the morning after I met you, someone tried to kill me.”
Vivien froze.
The room disappeared.
Everything except those words.
“What?”
Dominic remained facing the window.
“My driver died.”
Her breath caught.
“My bodyguard died.”
He closed his eyes briefly.
“I survived.”
The silence became unbearable.
“And after that?”
Dominic slowly turned back toward her.
“I spent six months trying to figure out who ordered it.”
Vivien suddenly understood something terrifying.
The guards.
The SUVs.
The surveillance.
The fear.
This wasn’t paranoia.
It was survival.
“You thought contacting me would put me in danger.”
“Yes.”
The answer was immediate.
Certain.
Honest.
For the first time all afternoon, she believed him.
But another question formed instantly.
“If you stayed away to protect me…”
Her hand moved toward her stomach.
“Then how did you know about the babies?”
Something changed in Dominic’s face.
Not fear.
Not guilt.
Shock.
Real shock.
“You mean the baby.”
Vivien blinked.
“What?”
“The baby.”
His voice dropped.
Singular.
Not plural.
“The pregnancy.”
The room suddenly felt very still.
Marcus, standing near the door, looked confused.
Dominic looked confused.
Everyone looked confused.
Except Vivien.
Slowly, carefully, she spoke.
“Not baby.”
Dominic stared.
“Babies.”
The color drained from his face.
For the first time since she met him, the feared Dominic Ashford looked completely unprepared.
“What did you say?”
Vivien folded her arms.
“Triplets.”
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Marcus actually took a step backward.
Dominic didn’t move.
Didn’t blink.
Didn’t breathe.
“Triplets?”
“Yes.”
The word echoed through the office.
Dominic lowered himself into his chair as if his knees suddenly stopped working.
The feared mafia boss.
The man who terrified politicians.
The man whose enemies disappeared overnight.
Looked stunned.
Completely stunned.
Then something even stranger happened.
A laugh escaped him.
One short laugh.
Followed by another.
Marcus looked horrified.
“Sir?”
Dominic ignored him.
His eyes remained locked on Vivien.
“Three?”
“Yes.”
“Three babies?”
“Yes.”
A slow smile spread across his face.
The first genuine smile she had seen since entering the mansion.
Then the office door burst open.
An elderly woman stormed inside.
Elegant.
Silver-haired.
Furious.
“Dominic Ashford!”
The smile vanished.
Immediately.
Every guard in the room straightened.
Marcus looked nervous.
Very nervous.
The woman pointed directly at Vivien.
Then at Dominic.
Then she uttered a sentence that made everyone freeze.
“Oh my God.”
Her hand flew to her mouth.
“She looks exactly like your mother.”
The room went silent.
Dominic’s expression darkened.
Vivien’s heart stopped.
Because something in the old woman’s voice suggested a truth far more dangerous than triplets.
A truth Dominic had never been told.
And one that was about to tear apart the Ashford family forever.
To be continued…
