Chapter 2 - The IntrusionThe heavy oak door swung open, revealing my chief legal counsel, Richard Vance, holding a thick leather folder under his arm. Richard stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes darting from my pale, rigid posture to Elena, and finally down to the double stroller.
His jaw practically hit the floor.
"Tobias, the board is waiting in the penthouse conference room for the final sign-off on the—" Richard paused, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Ah. I see you are... occupied."
"Cancel it," I said, my gaze never leaving Elena.
Richard blinked, stepping fully into the office and letting the door click shut behind him. "Cancel the board meeting? Tobias, the Singapore acquisition goes live in forty-eight hours. The investors flew in from—"
"I said, cancel it, Richard," I repeated, turning my head slowly to fix him with a glare cold enough to freeze nitrogen.
Richard swallowed hard, recognizing the dangerous edge in my tone. But his eyes drifted back to the twins, and a look of absolute professional horror washed over his seasoned face. He looked at the boys, looked at me, and did the math in real-time.
"Good God," Richard muttered under his breath. "Are those...?"
"Get out, Richard," I cut him off, my voice dangerously low. "Leave the folder on the credenza and wait outside. If anyone tries to enter this floor, bodily remove them."
Richard didn't argue. He dropped the leather folio onto the nearest surface, shot one last bewildered look at Elena, and practically bolted out of the office, sealing the door behind him.
The silence rushed back in, heavier this time, suffocating.
Leo, the bolder of the two twins with his sharp gray eyes, suddenly unbuckled his safety strap with surprising dexterity. Before Elena could catch him, he slid out of the stroller, landed softly on his sneakers, and began marching across the pristine marble floor directly toward me.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
I was a man who handled hostile takeovers, multi-billion-dollar liquidations, and high-stakes federal investigations without breaking a sweat. Yet as this tiny, miniature version of myself approached my custom-built Italian leather shoes, my knees felt weak.
Leo stopped right in front of me, tilted his head back, and stared up with an intense, analytical gaze that was entirely, undeniably mine.
He reached up, small fingers brushing against the fabric of my charcoal suit trousers.
"Nice tie," Leo said, his voice a high-pitched echo of my own cadence.
May you like
Elena covered her mouth with both hands, a choked sound escaping her throat as a mix of shock and humor flickered in her green eyes.
I dropped slowly to one knee, ignoring the crease it would put in my expensive trousers, and looked my son dead in the eye.
