Chapter 60 Family Celebration
"When she walks into that deposition room in forty-eight hours to face Marcus's legal attack, will the stress cost her the two precious lives she's just discovered she's carrying?"
But right now, there's only joy.
The living room erupts with celebration. Dalia crying. Percy hugging Kairo. Elara embracing Zephyra carefully.
Twins. Double everything. Double love.
"Two grandbabies!" Dalia keeps saying. Touching Zephyra's stomach reverently. "A boy and a girl!"
She's already pulling out her phone. Making lists. Planning.
"You'll need two cribs. Two car seats. Double stroller." She's typing frantically. "Double everything."
"Mom." Kairo laughs. "Slow down. We just found out."
"Exactly." Dalia looks up. Eyes shining. "Which means we have planning to do. Twins need more preparation."
Percy is grinning. Shaking his head in total disbelief
"Both of you don't do anything halfway." He says. "First marriage. Then empire. Now twins."
"We're overachievers." Zephyra manages. Still processing.
The evening transforms into impromptu baby planning party.
Dalia has spreadsheets. Color-coded. Organized.
"Nursery needs to accommodate two." She explains. "We'll need contractors. Designers."
"I'll handle construction." Percy offers immediately. "Schedule contractors. Oversee work."
"I'll research gear." Elara volunteers. "Best twin strollers. Feeding systems. Everything you'll need."
Zephyra watches them. Overwhelmed. Grateful.
A village forming. People ready to help.
"I am terrified." She admits suddenly. Voice breaking. "Two babies at once? How do we manage?"
The room goes quiet. Everyone looking at her.
"One day at a time." Dalia says gently. Moving beside her. "One feeding at a time."
She holds Zephyra's hands. Maternal. Knowing.
"Truth be told. Twins are hard." Dalia continues. "But you'll survive. You'll thrive."
"How did you know?" Zephyra whispers.
"Because you are strong." Dalia says firmly. "Because you have Kairo. Because you have all of us."
Tears run down Zephyra’s face. Relief. Gratitude.
"Thank you." She manages. "For being here. For everything."
"That's what family does." Dalia hugs her. "We show up. We support. We love."
The evening continues. Planning. Laughing. Dreaming.
Then Elara clears her throat. Nervous. Excited.
"We have news too." She says quietly. Looking at Percy.
Everyone turns. Curious.
"We’re pregnant." Elara's voice trembles. Hands moving to her stomach. "Just eight weeks. We wanted to wait but..."
Silence. Then explosion of joy.
Dalia screams. Hugs them both. Crying harder.
Kairo embraces Percy. Congratulating.
Zephyra wraps Elara in her arms. Both crying.
"Cousins!" Dalia keeps saying. "The babies will have cousins!"
Overwhelming joy. Pure. Beautiful.
Two pregnancies. Three babies total. Family growing.
"When are you due?" Zephyra asks Elara.
"Early June." Elara says. Glowing. "About six weeks before you."
"They'll grow up together." Kairo says. Wonder in his voice.
The evening stretches late. Too much excitement. Too much happiness.
Eventually, people leave. Exhaustion setting in.
Just Zephyra and Kairo remain. Sitting in their quiet living room.
"What a day." She says. Leaning against him.
"What a year." He corrects. Pulling her close.
She thinks back. Twelve months ago. Where she was.
"A year ago, I was alone." She whispers. "Trapped. Hopeless. Just surviving."
He's quiet. Listening.
"Now I have family." She continues. "Twins on the way. Life full of love. How did this happen?"
He tilts her face up. Looks into her eyes.
"You happened." He says firmly. "You chose to live instead of just survive. Everything else followed."
"We chose." She corrects. "You chose too. To fight for us."
"Best choice I ever made." He kisses her. Soft. Sweet.
They sit in silence. His hands on her bump.
Two babies growing. Two lives forming.
"We need to announce publicly." Kairo says eventually. "Before press discovers on their own."
"I know." Zephyra sighs. "Control the narrative."
"Next week?" He suggests. "After the deposition."
She nods. Dreading the deposition. But knowing it's necessary.
"Professional photoshoot." She plans. "Announcement via our channels. Clean. Controlled."
"Sounds perfect." He agrees.
They plan details. Photographer. Statement. Timing.
Everything organized. Managed.
That night, lying in bed, Zephyra feels peace.
Despite Marcus. Despite everything threatening.
She has this. This family. This love. Two babies.
She falls asleep with Kairo's hands on her bump, cradling their twins. Safe. Loved. Complete.
Morning comes so quickly.
Day before the deposition. Final preparations.
Legal team arriving for briefing. Going over questions. Preparing responses.
But first, Zephyra checks her email. Morning routine.
Inbox full. Messages. Updates.
Then one catches her eye.
Unknown sender. Subject line: "Congratulations."
She opens it. Reads.
Shivers.
"Congratulations on the twins. I would be so proud to have grandchildren. Perhaps he should know?"
The message is short. Clear. Threatening.
Someone knows. About Gerald. About her past. About everything.
Her hands are shaking. The phone nearly drops.
"Kairo!" Her voice breaks. "Kairo, come here!"
He rushes in. Sees her face. Immediately concerned.
"What's wrong?"
She shows him the email. Watches his face darken.
"Someone knows about Gerald." His voice is dangerous.
"They're threatening to tell him about the babies." Zephyra's hand moves to her stomach. Protective.
Kairo reads the email again. Analyzing.
"This came this morning?" He asks.
"Just now." She confirms.
He forwards it to their security team. Their lawyers. Everyone needs to know.
"We find out who sent this." He says firmly. "And we stop them."
But fear has settled in. Deep. Persistent.
Someone is watching. Knows intimate details. Willing to weaponize information.
Gerald in prison. Marcus suing. Now this unknown threat.
Enemies circling. Getting closer.
"The deposition is tomorrow." Zephyra whispers. "How can I focus when—"
"We handle one crisis at a time." Kairo interrupts gently. "Security will trace this. But tomorrow, you focus on Marcus."
She nods. Trying to believe him.
But the email burns in her mind. The threat clear.
Her phone buzzes. Security team responding.
"Tracing email now. Will have information within hours."
Relief. Slightly. But not enough.
The legal team arrives. Briefing begins.
Questions Marcus might ask. Responses to prepare. Strategy to employ.
Zephyra tries to focus. To prepare.
But her mind keeps returning to the email. The threat. Gerald's name.
What if he finds out about the twins? What if he tries to claim them somehow?
"Zephyra." The lead attorney says gently. "You need to focus. Tomorrow is crucial."
"I know." She forces her attention back. "I'm sorry. Continue."
They work through the afternoon. Preparing. Practicing. Strategizing.
By evening, she's exhausted. Overwhelmed. Scared.
But as ready as she'll ever be.
That night, Kairo holds her close.
"Tomorrow, you walk in strong." He whispers. "You tell the truth. You protect the program."
"What about the email?" She asks. "The threat?"
"Security is handling it." He reassures. "By tomorrow, we'll know who sent it."
She wants to believe him. Tries to.
But sleep doesn't come easily. Worry keeping her awake.
Gerald. Marcus. Unknown threats. Deposition tomorrow.
Everything converging. Everything threatening.
Her phone buzzes. Late night message. Security update.
She opens it. Reads. Her heart stops.
"Email traced to IP address inside Draven Corp. Internal threat. Investigation ongoing."
Inside the company. Someone she knows. Someone close.
Betrayal from wi
thin.
And as Zephyra stares at this revelation in the darkness while her twins sleep peacefully in her womb, one terrifying question screams through her mind—if the enemy has been working beside them all along, who else in their inner circle can they trust?