1 I accidentally slept with my arch-nemesis. I woke up and ran. But freakish fertility meant one night resulted in quadruplets. Before I could tell my family, mercenaries grabbed us and locked us in a private hospital suite. Sebastian Croft—the man I’d slept with—had crashed on his way to a party and was now in a coma. The quadruplets? Possibly his only heirs. His mother offered $400 million to keep them. My parents refused: “We’re poor but proud,” my father said. My sister Lily promised to help me raise them. As I nearly agreed, Sebastian’s voice rang in my mind: Take the money, idiot! Last time, your parents took 4 billion from my mother for our sons—then gave it all to your sister! Your father sold you to some backwoods town for 10k while you recovered, afraid you’d ruin Lily’s perfect life! I stared at his motionless lips, even pried them open slightly. Don’t touch me, moron! If you hear me—don’t be a fool again! … "Geri Bartlett, how could you have sex before marriage? I never thought I'd have such a disgraceful daughter!" My dad's face was purple with rage, his finger practically touching my nose as he spat his words. My mom stepped between us. "Mark, times have changed. Don't be so harsh on Geri. What's done is done. We need to think about her future now." She turned to me, her voice softening. "Geri, honey, we're not rich, but we've always made sure you and Lily had everything you needed. I taught you from a young age that a person's dignity is priceless. If you take that four hundred million, you're essentially selling your children. We don't do things like that. It's immoral." She patted my hand. "You've never been pregnant before, sweetie, you don't know what to expect. I'll take care of you. And after the babies are born, I'll help you raise them." Lily nodded eagerly. "I'll help too, sis! I'm an elementary school teacher, so I can make sure we raise four little geniuses!" Just like Sebastian’s thoughts had predicted. A perfect prophecy. "And what about me?" I asked my mom, my voice quiet. She hesitated for a second. "Well, of course, I'll look after you while you recover from the birth." "And after that?" I pressed. "Do I just... not get married?" "After you have these kids, you can stop being so picky and get back to dating!" my dad roared before my mom could answer. She shot him a glare and turned back to me with a reassuring smile. "You don't have to get married. You'll have done the most important thing in a woman's life. You can do whatever you want after that. Of course," she added, "you'll still have to work. Four babies will be a handful for your father and me, so you'll need to earn money for formula." Influenced by Sebastian's mental tirade, I could suddenly see the superficiality in her words, the false comfort I’d never noticed before. My whole life, I’d seen my family in a certain light. My dad was a typical patriarch, ordering my mom, Lily, and me around without a second thought. My mom, though she enabled him, was gentle and reasonable. She never told me to "give in to your sister" and often praised me for being sensible and smart. Lily had always been my shadow, and even though we grew distant when she went to college out-of-state, she was still my sweet little sister whenever she came home. Had I been blind my whole life, or was Sebastian using some kind of black magic to mess with my head? "Geri, you're not actually thinking about taking the money, are you?" Lily's voice, suddenly sharp and shrill, snapped me back to reality. The jealousy in her eyes was a palpable thing. My mom's face hardened. "Geri, you've only been working for a couple of years. Have you already developed such a taste for luxury? If you choose the money, I'll be deeply disappointed in you." I could understand her not wanting me to "sell my kids." But calling me greedy for accepting a payment that would secure their future? That, I didn't understand. My dad's anger boiled over. He shoved past my mom, his hand raised to strike me. I flinched back instinctively. His eyes bulged. "You dare to dodge? You worthless girl! If you take that money, I swear I'll break your legs when we get home!" Sebastian’s mental voice was frantic. Geri, can't you see it? They don't love you! My mother is waiting for your decision, and your own father is calling you 'worthless.' Has he ever called your sister that? I know it's hard to accept that your parents don't love you, but you have to wake up—for our sons! Take the four hundred million and live your life! "What happened to the children?" I whispered, looking at him. When they were old enough, they kept asking about their mother. Our eldest, the smartest one, figured out where you'd been taken when he was only five. He went to save you alone. The other three secretly followed him... and something terrible happened to all of them. The pain in his thoughts was so raw it was clear they had suffered immensely. I stroked my barely-there bump, a wave of protectiveness washing over me. My decision was made. My dad was still yelling. "What are you talking to this vegetable for? So what if his family has money? He's as good as dead! You are not marrying him!" Mrs. Croft had finally had enough. "Mark Bartlett, my son is not dead. And I will see to it that he recovers." My father deflated instantly, muttering under his breath, "Can't even call a vegetable a vegetable anymore." I almost laughed. He was just a paper tiger, all bark and no bite. I looked at Mrs. Croft, my voice firm. "Ma'am, I accept your offer. You can transfer two hundred million now, and the other two hundred after the children are born. And... if you'll have me, I'd like to marry Sebastian." I still wasn't a hundred percent sure about Sebastian's telepathic warnings, but one thing was certain: with money, I could build a good life. I could protect the people I wanted to protect. Idiot! You are not marrying me! My father exploded. "You crazy bitch! Are you out of your mind? For a bit of cash, you're going to have a vegetable's babies and then tie yourself to him for life? I don't have a daughter so pathetic!" My mother's face was grim. "Geri, don't be so impulsive. You'll regret this." Lily couldn't hide her malice anymore. She glared at me as if she wanted to tear me apart. Mrs. Croft looked me straight in the eye. "Geri, you're willing to marry my son, even if he never recovers?" I nodded. "I don't want my children to be illegitimate." "Don't worry about that," she said smoothly. "I can arrange their story." I shrugged. "Then I just want the money." A man with a mouth as foul as Sebastian's wasn't exactly my dream husband. "Done." Mrs. Croft transferred two hundred million dollars to my account on the spot. The notification sound on my phone was the most satisfying thing I'd ever heard. The room fell silent. My family stared, mouths agape. My father was the first to snap out of it. He lunged at me, his hand raised again. "You give that money back—Agh!" Before he could finish, one of the mercenaries had him in an iron grip. Faced with absolute power, my father began to tremble and beg. Mrs. Croft's voice was calm but laced with steel. "Mark Bartlett, Geri is now the mother of my grandchildren. I will not allow you to harm her." My mom, terrified, rushed to smooth things over. "Geri is our eldest! Now that she has all this money, why would we ever hurt her? Mark just has a temper, I'll talk to him. You're a powerful woman, please don't hold it against him." "See that you do," Mrs. Croft said, dismissing them. "Now, please leave. My son needs his rest." Mrs. Croft arranged a separate car for me. My father, still shaken, didn't dare say another word. My mother grabbed Lily and offered me a few hollow compliments, but I knew better than to believe them now. Free from their control, I went straight to one bank and deposited a hundred million, then to another to buy fifty million in gold bars. The rest I set aside for a house. After a quick stop at a lawyer's office, I had the Croft's driver take me back to my parents' home. I didn't expect the complete change in attitude that awaited me. My father was standing in the living room, holding a belt, his voice stiff. "Daughter, you're pregnant. I shouldn't have tried to hit you. I'm here to apologize." He actually started to kneel. "Don't," I said, stopping him. His face flushed. "So, you accept my apology?" I nodded. In truth, I was only there to pack my things and leave for good. I had to protect my unborn children, and whether my father's apology was genuine or not was completely irrelevant. My mom beamed. "See, Mark? I told you Geri is the most sensible one. She never holds a grudge, especially not against her parents." I’d heard her call me "sensible" a thousand times growing up. Today, I finally understood what it meant. It was a tool of manipulation, a way to make me feel guilty for wanting anything, for fighting for myself. While the "willful" Lily could live freely and be showered with all their love. Why? What made it fair? My mom wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Come on in, Geri. I made your favorite, steamed crab." It was another one of her moves, a desperate attempt to keep me under her thumb. But this time, it only exposed her ignorance. She didn't even know I was allergic to crab. Lily loved crab, so we had it often, but I could never eat more than a few bites. The one time I got to eat a whole quarter of a crab was after I placed first on a major exam in high school. I got sick immediately. My mom gave me some cash and told me to go to the clinic myself. When I came home and told her I had an allergy, my dad called me dramatic, and my mom promised she'd stop making it. A day later, Lily whined that she wanted crab dumplings, and my mom prepared a feast. Before we ate, she placed a heaping plate of steamed crab in front of me. "This is just steamed, Geri," she said kindly. "It's light, and I washed it very carefully. You'll be fine this time. You're such a good girl, even sickness wouldn't dare to touch you. Trust me." I got sick again. This time, I quietly took an allergy pill and told myself she just didn't understand allergies. If I was just more sensible, my allergy wouldn't be a problem for the family. I had brainwashed myself like that countless times, all for a few scraps of their love. Thank god I was finally awake. At the dinner table, I picked at a bland plate of stir-fried bok choy while my family exchanged furtive glances. Lily finally broke the silence. "Sis, my commute is two hours each way now. It's killing me. I've been wanting to buy one of those townhouses near the school. My birthday's coming up, so you could just get me the deed as a gift, right? It's not much, only twenty million." A small, bitter smile touched my lips. Of course. This whole act was about the money. "I donated it," I said flatly. "All of it. To charity." Lily's face contorted. "What? Two hundred million? You donated all of it? For twenty-something years, you've lived in this house, used our money, and you never once thought about giving back?" "You've lived here longer and used more," I replied calmly. "Have you ever thought about giving back?" She was stunned into silence, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. My dad jumped to her defense. "Lily is different! She gives her salary to us, and she got that tenured teaching position. Her life is stable; your mother and I don't have to worry about her. Besides, you're the one who will marry out. She's the one who's going to stay and take care of us. It's only right that she gets more." So that was it. "Whose decision was that?" I asked. "Of course it was—" he started, but my mom tugged his sleeve. She gave me that practiced, phony smile. "You and Lily drew straws when you were little to decide, Geri. Don't you remember?" I didn't. And I suspected it was just another lie to justify their favoritism. I let go of my last shred of hope. I looked at my mom. "So you want me to buy Lily the townhouse too, right?" Her gaze flickered away. "Geri, you'll have four hundred million after the babies are born. A twenty-million-dollar house won't make a dent." I laughed. "I'll buy her the house. On one condition: we cut all legal ties. From this day forward, I am not responsible for your retirement or your care." "You ungrateful child!" my father roared. "No, we can't do that, we can't..." my mother cried, slapping her thigh in distress. Lily, however, saw her opportunity. "Mom, Dad, I'll take care of you. Look at her, the second she gets money, she wants to abandon you. Do you really think she'll ever be a good daughter? That townhouse is in the city center; it's an investment! It'll only go up in value." My parents hesitated. I wasn't surprised. I placed a document on the table—an itemized bill of every expense they'd ever paid for me since birth. "The total on paper is less than five hundred thousand, but I know raising me took effort. So I'll pay you two million, lump sum. After you retire, I'll also pay you each ten thousand a month for the rest of your lives. If you live another ten years, you'll get far more than twenty million. I can even set it up through an insurance policy if you don't trust me." They always said Lily, the teacher, was the stable, dependable one, while I, with my corporate job, was wild and unreliable. Fine. Let's see if their "stable" daughter was more important than a guaranteed, comfortable retirement. Lily panicked. "Dad, Mom, she's lying to you!" I was prepared. I coolly produced a checkbook and three copies of a contract I'd had my lawyer draft. "I can write the check for two million right now. The contracts are already signed by me. All you have to do is sign, and they become legally binding."
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