I Hid My Billionaire Ex’s Twins for Nearly Five Years, and When Our Little Boy Ran Across a Crowded Seattle Street Festival, Hugged His Legs, and Shouted “Appa!”—Adrian Finally Discovered He Had Two Children, But the Moment I Revealed Who Had Forced Me to Disappear, His Trusted Adviser Went Pale! / Chapter 7 / 10

Chapter 7 - The Queen Anne EstateThe storm following Eleanor’s visit proved to be the final crucible for the Park family dynasty. Within forty-eight hours, Adrian called an emergency board meeting, systematically dismantling the old guard’s voting blocs by leveraging accumulated shares and exposing decades of financial nepotism led by Eleanor and her allies. By the end of the week, Adrian emerged as the undisputed, sole controlling chairman of Park Meridian, with absolute autonomy.

To celebrate—or rather, to anchor their new reality—Adrian insisted that Claire and the twins officially move into the Queen Anne estate.

“It’s too big,” Claire protested on a rainy Saturday morning as moving boxes piled up in the foyer of the grand craftsman house. “Ethan and Emma are going to roller-skate down the hallway and break their necks.”

“That’s why I had the hardwood floors treated with anti-slip sealant yesterday,” Adrian replied smoothly, walking out of the kitchen with two mugs of coffee, handing one to her.

Claire took the mug, blowing across the steaming surface. She looked around the sunlit living room, which overlooked Puget Sound through expansive glass windows. It was beautiful, warm, and tastefully decorated in muted tones of gray, cream, and deep forest green. Adrian had even hired an interior designer who somehow managed to incorporate cozy elements that felt welcoming rather than sterile.

“You really thought of everything, didn’t you?” Claire asked softly.

“Not everything,” Adrian said, stepping closer. “I spent five years missing you, Claire. I’m not planning on missing another second.”

Before she could answer, the sound of tiny footsteps thundered down the grand staircase.

“Daddy! Mommy! Look what we found in the attic!”

Ethan sprinted into the room, wearing an oversized astronaut helmet that Adrian’s security team had somehow procured as a gag gift, closely followed by Emma carrying a massive stuffed bear.

Adrian laughed, dropping down to catch Ethan as he launched himself into his arms. “An astronaut helmet? Where did you find that, commander?”

“In the big box with your name on it!” Ethan giggled, adjusting the plastic visor.

Emma walked up to Claire, holding out a small, framed photograph she had fished out of one of the open packing boxes. It was an old polaroid from San Francisco—Claire and Adrian sitting on a picnic blanket by the Golden Gate Bridge, laughing at something off-camera, young and carefree before the corporate world tore them apart.

“Is this you and Dad before we were born?” Emma asked, tilting her head.

Claire looked down at the photograph, her throat tightening. She reached out and touched the image.

“Yes, sweetie,” Claire whispered. “That was us.”

Adrian set Ethan down gently and walked over, standing right beside Claire. He looked down at the photograph in Emma’s hands, then slid his arm around Claire’s waist, pulling her flush against his side.

“We look young,” Adrian murmured softly against her ear.