Chapter 138 Adeline

Chapter 138 Adeline
Adeline's POV 

The look on his face when I told him he was a going to be a father was one I was never going to forget for as long as I lived.

"You're giving me a little one?" He whispered in awe.

"A doctor hasn't confirmed it yet, but I'm pretty sure of it." 

"I love you so much, Adeline. You have made my life complete." After then, he started making calls. He had Alex personally arrange our security detail to the hospital. 

The hospital he chose was one he was sure he could rely on for discretion. I thought he was doing too much, but he didn't want to take any chances on our security, we still have a psycho, Ilya, out there.

Because I couldn't keep anything down, he went to the kitchen to make me a cup of espresso coffee. He looked so proud of himself when he presented the tray to me that I couldn't tell him the smell made me want to throw up.

Presently, as we sat in the waiting room of the most exclusive OBGYN in all of New York, the coffee threatened to spill all over the expensive rug in the waiting room. Except I had bigger problems like Percy that couldn't keep still beside me. Not physically, but I could feel the tension rolling off him as he sat with his back straight. 

He was dressed in a grey suit, looking like he was about to acquire a small country, but his grip on my hand was so tight it was nearly cutting off my circulation.

"Percy," I whispered, leaning my head against his shoulder. "You’re going to break my fingers."

He immediately loosened his grip, looking at our joined hands and kissing my hand as if they were made of glass. "Sorry. I just... I’m running the numbers, Adeline. The security protocols for the penthouse need to be overhauled. We need a nursery that’s blast-proof. I need to vet every nanny in the tri-state area before news of your pregnancy gets out."

"That's smart. Why?" I teased.

"Because someone might try to plant a spy in our home posing as a nanny. Baby, should we be living in a penthouse? That's not going to be harmful to the baby?"

I let out a soft laugh. "Can we just see the sonogram before you build a fortress around the crib?"

"The fortress thing is non-negotiable." He murmured, but his eyes softened when he looked at me. "I just want you to be safe. You and... it."

"It will have a name, Percy. Eventually."

"Until it has a name, it’s the Heir." He announced with a smirk.

"Or the heiress."

"Whatever you say, baby."

Two minutes later, we were called in. The doctor was a woman with the kind of calm demeanor that could soothe a nervous pregnant woman moved the transducer across my stomach. The gel was cold, but she already informed me of that, so I wasn't shocked. Plus, Percy’s hand was warm against mine.

"Well," Dr. Aris said, her eyes fixed on the monitor. "Everything looks healthy. Strong heartbeats."

Percy and I froze in unison when we clocked what she said. Heartbeats, as in multiple heartbeats.

"Did you say heartbeats?" I asked, my voice barely audible.

"Yes, Miss Volkov." Dr. Aris turned the screen toward us. There, in the grainy black and white of the monitor, were two distinct flickering pulses. "Congratulations, you're having twins."

I didn't know when tears filled my eyes. I turned to look at Percy. He was staring at the monitor with an indecipherable expression. He had been rendered expressionless by his unborn children, which is very rare for him. He stared at the monitor with such unveiled reverence that I could barely recognize him. Even as he sank back into the chair, his eyes never left the monitor, as if he was afraid something would happen or they would disappear.

"Two," he whispered. "There are two of them."

"Double the nursery, Percy," I said, reaching out for his hand. He took it and pressed his forehead against the back of my knuckles. "I'm going to need a bigger plane." I don't know why that mattered right now, but the tremor in his voice told me he was thinking about much more than that.

By the time we got back to the penthouse, Percy was already on the phone with Alex and Silas. Alex was already on the way to the penthouse. 

"Sell the docks," I heard him say as he paced the living room. "I don't care about the margins. Offload the Jersey warehouse and the gambling holdings in Queens. I want the Akilov books to be as white as a fresh snowstorm by the time these babies arrive." Right now, it was only Alex that knew about our babies.

I couldn't believe he was letting most of the illegitimate part of his business go. I wondered how Richard would react to that, but that was a conversation we could have later. He was doing it so our children would never have to be caught in a crossfire.

I sat at the kitchen island, watching him. Sloane was across from me, her eyes wide as she listened to her brother bark orders that were worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

"He’s really doing it, isn't he?" Sloane asked. "He’s going legit."

"He was legit, but he's doing it for them," I said, touching my stomach. "And for us."

My phone buzzed on the counter. I expected it to be my father, Charles, asking for an update on the Vane fallout. I had planned on telling Zara her nieces personally.

But it turned out to be Silas. He almost never called me personally. He must have tried calling Percy without any luck.

"Silas? What's going on?"

"Adeline, I'm going to play an audio recording I got for you now. Stay calm, okay?"

"Okay?"

"Adeline Volkov, this message is for you, and I know you will get it." A voice rasped. It was scrambled, but I still recognized the voice. It was the voice I had hoped I would never have to hear again in my life. "Congratulations on the babies. I had plans for the Whitmore, just for you to know, which is built on a foundation of lies."

"Who is this?" Silas asked as a way of prolonging the call.

"We both know who this is."

"What do you want? How are you going to prove anything? You’re a wanted criminal yourself."

"Yes, about that. I have Marcus Vane to help me. He has agreed to do this on my behalf. Perhaps you remember our friend, Mr. Eric Weeks. He has a personal interest in this case, too."

"What? That's not possible."

"I am Ilya Kozlov, I can make anything possible."

"Expect a server on Monday. I’m coming for all of you. Until the Whitmores pay me what I'm due for taking care of their daughter." He hung up with that.

Percy noticed the change in my expression instantly. He hung up the phone and was across the room in three strides. "Adeline? What is it? You’re white as a sheet."

"Ilya Kozlov is using Marcus Vane and Eric Weeks to sue the Whitmores in court. He's trying to make it drain our resources as we fight an endless battle in court."

"He won't win. This is nothing but a distraction. One more thing, we have to bring Melissa in. We can't let him have any leverage against us."