CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - Children Who See the Truth Before Adults Do
The house was quiet-too quiet for a home that held four brilliant, restless, curious children. Aurora leaned silently against the front door after locking it, pressing a trembling hand over her chest as she tried to steady her breathing.
Damien's scent still clung to her.
His words still echoed inside her.
His eyes... she couldn't forget his eyes.
But she had no time to feel anything.
No time to crumble.
No time to let her heart make the mistake of wanting something impossible.
She exhaled slowly and turned around-
-only to jump in alarm.
Four small faces stared at her from the living-room doorway.
Kai, the eldest.
Noah, the second.
Levi, the third.
And their sister, Aria, the youngest yet the fiercest.
They stood in a perfect line, arms folded, eyes narrowed, expressions identical to the one Damien Kane wore when analyzing a boardroom full of liars.
Kai took a step forward. "Mom."
Aurora froze.
"Who," he said slowly, "was THAT man?"
Aurora's heartbeat stumbled.
The children exchanged looks-serious, sharp, questioning.
Aria crossed her tiny arms. "He looked like he was protecting you."
Noah pushed up his glasses. "He also looked extremely familiar. I've seen him before."
Levi nodded thoughtfully. "Yes. Somewhere in the medical encyclopedias. And the news. On every billboard too."
Kai's brow furrowed. "That was Damien Kane. The richest man alive."
Aurora nearly choked.
Of all the children to recognize him, Kai was the obvious one - the child who carried the fierce intuition and natural authority of a CEO without even trying.
Aurora forced a calm smile. "He's just my boss."
Kai raised a brow. "Bosses don't look at employees like that."
Aria gasped dramatically. "Mom! Are you secretly dating him?"
"No!" Aurora blurted so fast all four children jumped in surprise.
Noah nodded slowly. "Hm. Sudden reaction. Highly suspicious."
Levi stroked his chin like a miniature professor. "Very suspicious indeed."
Kai stepped closer, staring up at her with the piercing eyes he inherited from his father-though Aurora didn't want to think about that right now.
"He drove you home," Kai said. "Why?"
Aurora swallowed. "Because it was raining, and he didn't want me walking alone."
Aria frowned. "Then he cares."
"Aria-"
"So he likes you," Aria declared confidently, as if that solved everything.
Aurora opened her mouth to argue-
-but the truth was too dangerous to even joke about.
She wasn't allowed to let them know.
Not yet.
Not until the time was right.
Noah suddenly rushed to the window, pulling the curtains aside.
"He waited," Noah whispered, eyes wide. "He didn't drive away until he saw you get inside."
Kai's face softened with something new-curiosity mixed with something heavier.
"Mom..." he said quietly. "Do you trust him?"
Aurora froze.
That was the question.
The real question.
Not why Damien drove her home.
Not how he looked at her.
Not how her heart reacted.
But whether she could trust him with the truth.
The truth that she carried four pieces of him in this house.
The truth she had spent six years protecting.
The truth that could upend all their lives.
Aurora knelt slowly, pulling all four children into her arms. They melted into the embrace-Aria hugging her waist, Levi leaning on her shoulder, Noah burying his face into her side, Kai quietly resting his chin on her head.
"My loves," Aurora whispered, "I will always protect you first. Everything I do, I do for you."
Kai asked softly, "Even if it costs you something you want?"
Her heart cracked.
Because yes.
Always yes.
She forced a trembling smile. "Now go get ready for bed. Tomorrow will be a long day."
The children went upstairs-except Kai.
He lingered.
"Mom," he said quietly. "If he ever hurts you... I'll find out."
Aurora laughed weakly. "What are you going to do? You're only six."
Kai's eyes darkened with a maturity far beyond his age. "I have ways."
Aurora shivered.
Because she believed him.
---
Hours later, when the children were asleep, Aurora sat at her desk, flipping through files. But no matter how hard she tried to force her mind into work, she kept replaying Damien's eyes, Damien's voice, Damien's touch-gentle but grounding.
And the worst part?
He felt familiar.
Too familiar.
Like a memory that refused to stay buried.
She rubbed her temples, overwhelmed.
Her phone suddenly buzzed.
Unknown Number: Are you home?
Her breath caught.
It could only be one person.
Aurora stared at the message for a long, tremulous moment before typing back.
Aurora: Yes. Thank you again for the ride.
The reply came almost instantly.
Unknown Number: Get some rest. You worked too hard today.
Her stomach fluttered.
Aurora: Goodnight, Mr. Kane.
Unknown Number: Damien.
Unknown Number: Call me Damien when it's just us.
Aurora's heart raced so hard she had to set the phone down.
This was dangerous.
Unpredictable.
Unavoidable.
A connection neither of them should want-
yet both of them felt.
She looked toward the stairs, where her children slept peacefully.
They had begun searching for their father.
And Damien Kane...
...was walking dangerously close to the truth without even knowing it.
Tomorrow would change everything.
And Aurora could feel it.
The storm wasn't coming.
It was already here.
