He Saw Three Boys Who Had His Face
CHAPTER 1 - THE BOYS ON THE SOFA
"Who are you, little ones?"
Adrian Vale had asked hard questions in boardrooms, courtrooms, and hospital corridors.
But never like this.
He stood in the dinner's private rest area, one hand still near his jacket pocket, staring at the three boys on the dark velvet sofa as if the room had tilted beneath him.
They were small. Seven, maybe.
And they had his face.
Not exactly. Children never did.
But the shape of the chin. The wide-set blue eyes. The line of the brow.
Enough to steal the breath from his lungs.
At the doorway, Celeste Marrow made a choking sound.
Her deep red sequined gown caught the warm light from the wall sconces.
"They look exactly like you," she whispered.
The middle boy lifted his chin with shy pride.
"We are triplets," he said. "Our mommy works here."
Adrian felt something cold move through him.
His engagement party hummed just beyond the half-hidden entrance to the ballroom. Glasses clinked. Music drifted in. People were celebrating his future.
Inside this room, that future cracked open.
He straightened slowly and pulled out his phone.
When Celeste took one quick step toward him, his voice cut through the air.
"Call off the engagement."
He said it into the phone without looking at her.
"Tell them there's been an emergency."
The boys stared up at him, suddenly anxious now. Celeste's face emptied of color.
Adrian crouched in front of the sofa again, softer this time.
"What's your mother's name?"
The boys looked at one another, then the child on the left answered.
"Elena."
Adrian froze.
Because fifteen years ago, Elena Hart had disappeared from his life without a goodbye.
And at that exact moment, a woman in a server's black uniform stopped in the doorway carrying a silver tray.
The tray slipped from her hands and shattered across the marble floor.
