Chapter 375
trene weaved through the sea waiting parents outside the enrichment center, scanning for her three little tornadoes. After a mercifully light day at the medical center, she’d ditched her afternoon paperwork to surprise the kids.
Her eyes found them instantly–mother’s radar never failed. “Alex! Lacas! Lily! she called out, waving.
Their heads whipped around in perfect sync, eyes widening like they spotted a unicorn.
“Mom?” Lucas yelled, nearly dropping his backpack.
They bulldozed through the classmates, racing toward her with the barely contained energy only children possess.
“What are you doing here?” Alex asked, squeezing her tight.
Irene breathed in that unmistakable mix of school glue, fruit snacks, and the faint trace of morning shampoo. “Thought I’d play hooky and spend time with my favorite people.”
“But you never pick us up on Thursdays,” Lily said, her small fingers gripping Irene’s sleeve.
“Well, today’s special,” Irene replied, ruffling Lily’s curls. “What did you guys learn today?”
Lucas’s face lit up. “I made something for you!” He fumbled with his tablet, swiping through screens before holding it up proudly. “See?”
Irene’s breath caught. On the screen was a digital portrait of her–not childish scribbles, but a surprisingly sophisticated rendering with depth and nuance that seemed impossible for a child his age.
“Lucas, this is incredible,” she said, genuinely stunned. “When did you learn to do this?”
He shrugged, pleased with her reaction. “Art class. Mrs. Peterson said I have a ‘natural eye,‘ whatever that means.”
“It means you’re brilliant,” Irene said, pulling him close. “All of you are. How about we celebrate with dinner anywhere you want?”
“Even Burger Palace?” Lily gasped, as if Irene had offered them the moon.
“Even there,” Irene laughed.
The hair on her neck suddenly stood up–that primal instinct of being watched. She turned to find Sophia Haven standing several yards away, looking like she’d stepped straight off a magazine cover in her tailored suit.
Sophia’s face was a study in contradictions as she watched them. There was something almost like respect in her eyes–one mother recognizing another’s devotion–but beneath it lurked steel determination that made Irene’s protective instincts flare.
She tracked us down, Irene realized. She found my kids‘ school.
Sophia approached with calculated grace. “Ms. Sterling,” she said, her voice neutral but commanding.
Irene instinctively shifted, placing herself between Sophia and her children. “Mrs. Haven. This is unexpected.”
Sophia’s gaze flicked briefly to the children. “I was hoping we might talk. Do you have a moment?”
They settled at a nearby café, the children at one table with milkshakes and cake, Irene and Sophia at another by the window.
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“Behave yourselves for five minutes,” Irene told the kids. Mom needs to chat with Mrs. Haven.”
As soon as she joined Sophia, Lucas whispered loudly to his siblings Think Haven Grandma’s gonna be mean to Mom?
Ales shrugged, his face serious. “Mom can handle herself.”
Lily nodded firmly. “If she’s mean, we’ll rescue Mom.”
Sophia took a delicate sip of her espresso. “Your children seem… spirited.”
“They are,” Irene replied, skipping the pleasantries. “What’s this about, Mrs. Haven?”
A flicker of surprise crossed Sophia’s face at Irene’s directness. “Very well. I want you to end your relationship with my son.”
The bluntness might have shocked someone else, but trene had been expecting this since the moment she spotted Sophia.
“The Haven family,” Sophia continued, her manicured fingers tapping lightly on the table, “requires certain connections from marriage. Adam needs a partner who strengthens his position, not… She paused, her gaze drifting meaningfully toward the children.
“Not a single mother with three kids,” Irene finished for her.
“Precisely.” Sophia nodded, as if relieved Irene understood so quickly. “It’s nothing personal. It’s simply how our world works.
“And if I refuse?”
Sophia’s perfectly shaped eyebrows rose slightly. “I’d hoped you’d be reasonable. The Haven family would compensate you generously for your medical services to Adam, of course.”
She leaned forward, lowering her voice. “My son signs papers that move billions of dollars daily. In families like ours, marriage isn’t, just about feelings. It never has been.”
“And never will be?” Irene asked, keeping her voice level.
“The Haven family will never accept a woman with three children of uncertain parentage,” Sophia stated with absolute certainty. “Even if Adam temporarily thinks he wants this… arrangement.”
From their table, the triplets watched intently.
“Mom’s doing her stone face,” Alex observed.
Lucas fidgeted nervously. “That’s her mad face, but the quiet kind.”
“Haven Grandma looks like she ate something sour,” Lily added.
Irene took a slow breath. “I appreciate your honesty, Mrs. Haven. But I make my own decisions about my relationships.”
She met Sophia’s gaze steadily. “At the medical center, I save people, not bank accounts. Maybe that’s precisely why Adam chose
me.”
Sophia’s perfectly composed facade cracked slightly. “You’re refusing?”
“I’m saying my relationship with Adam is between us,” Irene replied. No one else gets a vote.”
“Don’t be naive, Sophia snapped, her polished veneer slipping. “When this becomes a public issue, Adam will have to choose
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between you and his family legacy. In our world, that choice is predetermined. He’ll discard you without hesitation.”
Irene remained unmoved. If Adam ever stops wanting me in his life I walk away with dignity. But I won’t end things because you
disapprove.”
She stood to leave, but Sophia’s next words froze her in place.
“Three hundred million dollars.”
Irene turned back, genuinely confused. “What?”
Sophia stood too, her voice dropping to an intense whisper. “One hundred million for each child. Enough to guarantee them the best of everything for life–elite Schools, connections, security.”
Her eyes narrowed. “As a mother, surely you want what’s best for them? This money would ensure they never face the stigma of their… unusual background.”
Irene went completely still. The café noise seemed to fade away. When she finally spoke, her voice carried the quiet precision of a surgeon making the first incision.
“Mrs. Haven,” she said, each word measured and distinct. “I’ve spent my life saving people others deemed worthless. I’ve held beating hearts in my hands. I’ve watched life begin and end.” She leaned forward slightly. “And I can promise you this–there is no price tag for my dignity or my children’s future.”
Her smile was brief and razor–sharp. “Keep your millions. My answers no. Not for three hundred million, not for three billion. Not
ever.”
As she turned to leave, the triplets materialized at her side like tiny bodyguards.
Lucas took her hand. “We’re done, Mom.”
Lily looked up at Sophia with wide, innocent eyes. “Haven Grandma, why do you want to give us money?”
Irene’s step faltered as she realized what they might have overheard
Sophia stared at the four of them, for once at a loss for words.
Alex positioned himself protectively beside his mother. “We should go, Mom.”
Irene squeezed their hands and walked away, leaving Sophia alone with her checkbook and her shattered certainty.
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