VIRGIN MOTHER FOR THE BILLONAIRE'S TWINS.

Is This Fate?

The insistent drumming on the glass pulled Ellen from her focused concentration on Luca's drawing. He was sketching a spaceship, his tongue peeking out from the corner of his mouth in that adorable way that always melted her heart. Leo was meticulously building a tower of blocks beside him, quiet for once. Finding this small apartment, tucked away in a quiet neighborhood, had been a blessing. Life had finally started to feel…normal.

But normal, it seemed, was a fleeting concept.

She glanced up to see a sleek, black car idling outside, the tinted windows offering no clue as to its occupant. Her stomach clenched. She knew, somehow.

"Just a minute, boys. Stay right here, okay?" she said, her voice betraying none of the anxiety churning within her.

She opened the door, and there he was. Andre Morgan. Leaning against the hood of the car, looking impossibly handsome in a tailored suit, a lazy smile playing on his lips that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

"Ms. Ellen," he greeted, his voice a low, smooth rumble that sent a shiver down her spine despite herself. "Fancy meeting you here."

Ellen crossed her arms, forcing herself to remain calm. "Mr. Morgan. To what do I owe the…pleasure?"

"Let's cut the formalities, shall we, Ellen?" His gaze flickered past her to the open doorway, momentarily focusing on the boys before returning to her, a hint of something unreadable in their depths. "I believe we have some unfinished business."

"I believe you’re mistaken. I have no business with you." She made to close the door, but he stopped it with a hand, his touch sending another unwelcome jolt through her.

"That's not how I see it. Five years is a long time, but it doesn't erase the past, does it?" He pushed gently past her into the apartment, his presence immediately dominating the small space.

Ellen felt a surge of panic. "You can't just come in here!"

He ignored her, his eyes sweeping over the room, lingering on the boys who were now staring at him with wide-eyed curiosity. Leo cautiously approached.

"Are you a friend of my Mommy?" he asked, and Ellen is somehow happy the boy doesn't recognize Andre as the man at the airport that day.

Andre crouched down, his gaze level with Leo's. "Well, I'd like to be," he said, a genuine smile finally gracing his features. "Your mommy and I…we know each other."

"Andre, please," Ellen interjected, her voice tight. "Don't involve them in this."

He straightened, turning back to her. "Involve them? Ellen, they're already involved. They're here."

"That's enough." She clapped her hands, attempting to regain control of the situation. "Leo, Luca, go to your room. Now."

The boys hesitated, glancing from her to Andre, but ultimately obeyed, disappearing down the short hallway.

Ellen faced Andre, her anger simmering. "Get out."

"Not until we talk." He took a step closer, his eyes searching hers. "I owe you an apology, Ellen. A long overdue one."

She scoffed. "An apology? After what you did? You think a simple 'sorry' will make it all okay?"

He winced, the ghost of a smile fading. "No. I know it won't. What I did was…unacceptable. I was an arrogant ass, and I treated you with disrespect. I'm not proud of it."

"Well, congratulations on finally acknowledging it." She crossed her arms again, a defensive shield. "But it doesn't change anything."

"It changes the fact that I want to make amends. I want to earn your forgiveness." He paused, then added, almost hesitantly, "And maybe…get to know you better."

"There's nothing to know," she said sharply. "I'm a single mother, raising my two boys. That's my life."

"And what a wonderful life it is," he said softly, his gaze drifting towards the hallway where the boys had disappeared. "They're…remarkable."

"They're my sons," she said, her voice laced with protectiveness.

"I can see that," he replied, his eyes meeting hers again. "They have your spirit, your fire." He hesitated, then added, "And… something else."

Ellen held her breath, her heart pounding in her chest. She could see it in his eyes, the dawning realization, the questions he wasn't yet ready to voice.

"Look," she said, forcing herself to remain calm. "I appreciate the…apology. Sort of. But this isn't going to work. I'm not interested in you, or your…amends."

"You're not interested in me," he repeated, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "Or you're afraid of what might happen if you were?"

"I'm not afraid of anything," she retorted, though a small voice in the back of her mind whispered that she was, indeed, terrified.

"Then prove it. Have dinner with me."

"Absolutely not."

"Just one dinner. No strings attached. We talk, we eat, we see where it goes." He took another step closer, his presence overwhelming. "What do you have to lose?"

"My sanity," she muttered under her breath.

"Come on, Ellen. Give me a chance to show you I've changed."

"You haven't changed," she said, shaking her head. "You're still the same arrogant, entitled man I met five years ago."

"Maybe," he conceded. "But even arrogant, entitled men can learn. And I'm learning that I made a huge mistake pushing you away."

"This is ridiculous," Ellen said, turning away. "I have nothing to say to you." She walked back to the open door, indicating him to leave.

He sighed, running a hand through his perfectly styled hair. "Fine. But this isn't over, Ellen. I'm not giving up that easily."

He walked towards the doorway, then paused, turning back to her. "Think about the dinner. And think about what your boys deserve."

With that, he left, leaving Ellen standing in the doorway, her heart pounding, the scent of his cologne lingering in the air like a ghost.

She closed the door, leaning against it, trying to catch her breath. This couldn't be happening. He couldn’t be here. He couldn't…know.

She glanced down the hallway towards the boys' room. They were her world, her everything. And now, that world was teetering on the edge of a precipice, threatened by the man who stood to turn it upside down.

Later that evening, after the boys were asleep, Ellen sat on the small balcony, the city lights twinkling like fallen stars. She replayed the conversation with Andre in her mind, each word, each gesture, each pregnant pause.

He wanted to apologize. He wanted to get to know her. He wanted…something. But what? Was it genuine remorse? Or was it something else entirely?

She knew Andre Morgan. He didn't do anything without a reason. And she had a feeling that his sudden interest in her had nothing to do with regret and everything to do with… the boys.

She glanced at the matching drawings of her kids stuck on the fridge and sighed. She could see the resemblance, the jawline, the high cheekbones, the eye colour, the same glint in their eyes. They were him, miniature versions of the powerful billionaire. This can't be. She got pregnant through IVF and the donor was anonymous and paid off. There's no way a rich man like Andre Morgan would donate semen for money. But the resemblance is uncanny and Ellen knows Andre sees it and might it be the reason he's all over her life once again?

She had to protect them. From him.

But how? How could she keep them safe from the man who had the resources to find them, the power to take them away?

She looked up at the stars, a silent plea escaping her lips. She didn't know what to do. She only knew that her life, and the lives of her sons, were about to change forever if Andre really meant coming for her.

__

Andre Morgan sat alone in his penthouse apartment, the panoramic view of the city spread out before him. He swirled the amber liquid in his glass, his thoughts consumed by Ellen and the boys.

He’d messed up. He knew it. He’d approached her all wrong, his arrogance getting in the way as usual. He had needed to apologize, but his apology felt like a bad pickup line.

He thought of the twins. They were small, rambunctious, and undeniably captivating. And they looked exactly like him. The realization had hit him like a punch to the gut. It was more than just a resemblance. It was… undeniable. But how is that even possible? That's what he's determined to find out.

He reached for his phone, scrolling through the photos his private investigator had sent him. Pictures of Ellen, pushing the boys on swings, reading them bedtime stories, holding them close. He zoomed in on their faces, studying every detail.

He wanted to know them. He wanted to be a part of their lives.

He knew he had a lot to prove. He had to earn Ellen’s trust. He had to show her that he was a different man.

He drained his glass, a newfound determination hardening his gaze. He wasn't going to let her push him away.

He is Andre Morgan, and he always got what he wanted. And right now, he wanted Ellen, and her children.