Chapter 395

Chapter 395
Ethan parked the car in its usual spot in the underground garage, near the VIP elevator that led directly to Lilian's office.
The engine shut off, but before Lilian could open the door, Ethan's firm hand held her back.
“Ms. Legrand...” His voice was deep and full of concern. “Don't skip lunch.”
Remember, you're feeding two people in there now. Or rather, three, if we count you.“
Lilian nodded, a sweet smile lighting up her face. Her heart warmed again as she remembered the news: twins.
”You know, honey? It's still hard to believe." She tilted her head, curious. “Now I'm wondering: does anyone in your family have twins?”
As far as Lilian could remember, there was no history of it on her side. The genetics had to come from him.
“I think so.” Ethan frowned, thoughtful. “If I'm not mistaken, my grandmother's family had a history of it. But we haven't had any contact with them since she passed away.”
A fleeting glimmer of sadness passed through his eyes, but it was so quick that Lilian didn't notice.
“I see. No wonder we were blessed twice over,” she said cheerfully, checking the time. “Oh, Ethan, I have to go. Gabriela might leave without me if I'm late. She's crazy about punctuality.”
“Hmm. You can go. But make sure Charlie and Dinho accompany you to the airport. And I don't want any excuses.”
“Of course.” Her voice was choked with emotion, touched by his overprotectiveness. Now that she was carrying his heirs, security would be tripled.
“And I expect you to go straight home after you say goodbye to her. No going back to the office.”
“That's the plan. How did you know?” Lilian laughed, teasing him. “Any other orders, Mr. Legrand?”
Ethan didn't respond with words. He pulled her toward him and sealed her lips with a soft but possessive kiss.
“I love you, Lilian.”
“I know... Bye!” She smiled and hurried out of the car, feeling like the luckiest woman in the world.
Lilian went up to the 20th floor. On the way, she ignored Gabriela's frantic messages, focusing on getting there on time. They still had thirty minutes before the scheduled departure time.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, she came face to face with her friend, who was tapping her foot impatiently.
“Wow, friend... I thought you weren't coming!” Gabriela exclaimed with a relieved smile. She knew Lilian's brother was in the hospital and feared her friend wouldn't be able to make it.
“Why are you in such a hurry?” Lilian hugged her. “Did Antony ask you to come back early? Is the New York office on fire?”
“Of course not. It's something much more serious: my mother's birthday.” Gabriela rolled her eyes, laughing. "It's in two days. My father called me and drove me crazy.
He said that if I didn't arrive in time to help with the party, he would remove my name from his will.
Lilian laughed. She could perfectly imagine Gabriela's father, red with feigned anger. She felt a pang of longing for those she considered her second parents.
“Let's sit down for a bit before you go...” Lilian asked, walking towards the sofas.
Suddenly, she felt breathless. The short run from the hospital to here had left her exhausted and abnormally thirsty. Something that never happened.
“Huh? Why am I so weak? Is it psychological, now that I know I'm pregnant?” she wondered, finding her own fragility amusing.
She settled down on the sofa and looked at Dinho, who was coming out of an adjoining room. He was impeccable as always, dressed in black, but today he was wearing casual white sneakers.
“Dinho, can you get me a glass of water? And something sweet? I'm really thirsty and hungry.”
“Of course, boss.” Dinho immediately went to the kitchen and returned with a bottle of water, chocolates, and a slice of cake.
Gabriela, who was watching the scene, narrowed her eyes.
“Miss... you didn't come running, did you? You came by car, with a driver. How can you be hungry and out of breath?”
Dinho, who was serving the water, also paused for a second, giving Lilian a suspicious look. She usually skipped meals. Now, it wasn't even 11 a.m. and she was asking for cake?
“Boss, here's some chocolate cake. It's the only decent thing we have today,” said Dinho, placing the plate on the table and sitting down, waiting for an explanation.
“My God! Was I that obvious?”
Lilian panicked internally. She knew those two; they were too perceptive. If she wasn't careful, they would guess her pregnancy in five minutes.
“Thanks, Dinho.”
You know I can't resist chocolate.“ Lilian forced a casual tone, opening the water bottle to buy some time. ”I... didn't have a proper breakfast because of the confusion with Josh. That's all."
She quickly looked away, fixing her gaze on the server room, praying they would swallow the excuse.
“Wait a minute.” Lilian frowned, ignoring the questioning looks from Gabriela and Dinho. “I don't see Benjamin. Where is he?”
Matthew, who had just hung up a call in the corner of the room, approached the group.
“Benjamin locked himself in the server room this morning,” he explained, sounding concerned. “He didn't even come out for breakfast. I don't know what he's doing in there, but it looks like something's upset him.”
Lilian felt a tightness in her chest. It was extremely rare for Benjamin to skip meals or ignore her presence.
“Has something happened?” she thought, worried.
She immediately picked up her phone and sent a quick message:
\[Lilian\]: Bro, I'm outside. We're going to the airport. Do you want to come with us?
After sending it, she stared at the closed door of the computer room. She waited five seconds. Ten. Twenty.
Nothing.
Benjamin, who always replied within a second, remained silent. Lilian's concern grew. “Is he okay?”
However, her stomach growled, reminding her of her new condition. Lilian turned her attention to the chocolate cake on the table. As she ate with a voracity she tried to hide, her eyes never left the hacker's door.
Until she finished the last piece of cake and emptied the water bottle, the phone remained silent.
“Come on, Lilian. The flight won't wait,” Gabriela called, getting up and checking the time. “If we stay here any longer, I'll miss my plane.”
Gabriela said goodbye to Matthew, as he would be staying at the office.
“Okay, let's go,” agreed Lilian, wiping up the crumbs and getting up. “Dinho, I need you to take me to the airport. Ask Charlie to get the car ready.”
“Yes, boss.” Dinho nodded and hurried out.
Lilian followed Gabriela, but stopped in front of Benjamin's door one last time. She turned to Matthew.
“Matthew, do me a favor. Tell Benjamin to call me as soon as he leaves the den. That's an order.”
She suspected something serious was going on. Benjamin only ignored her messages in two situations: when he was away from his devices (impossible for him) or when he was focused on neutralizing a critical threat.