Chapter 3

The next morning, I found a massive crate on my nightstand filled with every variety of spicy snacks imaginable. Next to it was a note in Lucian's elegant handwriting: [I had these checked. No toxic additives, but don't overdo it.]

I looked at the box and, for the first time in a while, I couldn't help but laugh.

At twelve weeks pregnant, it was time for my first formal screening.

Margaret was more nervous than I was. She had the whole house scrubbed and sanitized a day in advance, claiming she was preparing a pristine sanctuary for her precious grandchild.

On the day of the appointment, the convoy looked like a presidential motorcade. Three black Rolls-Royces lined up at the door, flanked by a dozen security guards in suits.

Margaret personally opened my car door, shielding my head with her hand as if I might shatter upon contact with the air.

Lucian had been dragged away from a board meeting, looking like he would rather be anywhere else as he sat beside me.

Upon our arrival, the hospital president and a phalanx of chief physicians stood in formation at the doors, having waited long.

"This way, please."

With all that fanfare, anyone passing by would have assumed some world leader was here for a royal visit.

I was ushered into a private VIP suite where Liam Windsor, the city's top prenatal specialist, was waiting. Both Margaret and Lucian crowded into the room, staring at the monitor with more intensity than I was.

Liam applied the gel and moved the transducer over my belly. At first, the screen was just a blur of grey and white.

Liam looked relaxed. "Heartbeat is strong. Everything looks healthy."

Margaret immediately crossed herself, whispering, "Thank God. Thank the heavens."

But then, Liam's eyebrows knit together. He moved the probe and zoomed in before his expression shifted from relaxed to focused and to confused and finally to pure shock.

The only sound in the room was the rhythmic thump-thump of the machine.

Margaret's heart was in her throat. "Dr. Windsor? What is it? Is something wrong?"

Liam didn't answer. He took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, put them back on, and stared at the screen again.

His mouth parted slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.

My heart sank.

I wondered if there was something wrong with the baby. If so, my one-hundred-million bonus was literally vanishing before my eyes.

Lucian sensed the shift, too. "Doctor, talk to us. What's going on?" he asked.

Liam finally looked up, gaping at me with disbelief. He slowly held up one trembling finger.

"One..."

Margaret relaxed. "One is good. One is perfect."

Liam shook his head and held up a second finger. "No... two..."

Margaret's eyes lit up. "Twins? Oh, that's wonderful news. A double blessing."

Liam shook his head again, his face turning pale. He held up a third trembling finger. "Thr... three..."

Margaret gasped, clutching her chest. "Triplets? Lucian, we're having triplets. The house is going to be so full."

Looking at Liam's face, I had a very bad feeling about this. He looked like he was about to cry as he took a deep breath, as if gathering all his strength, and slowly raised a fourth finger.

His voice cracked. "Mr. and Mrs. Blackwood... you've... you've hit the jackpot. It's quadruplets. And to make matters even more insane, they're all boys."

My brain felt like it had short-circuited.

Margaret froze instantly as her smile vanished. Her pupils dilated. Lucian's "ice king" mask finally cracked; he looked at the screen and at my stomach, as if he were looking at an alien life form.

Liam collapsed into his chair, muttering to himself, "Thirty years in this field, and this is a first. A total first..."

The whole VIP room went dead silent. Silence stretched for what felt like an eternity.

Finally, Margaret moved toward me with shaky steps, reaching out to touch my stomach before pulling back, as if I were a holy relic.

Her eyes were a whirlwind of joy, shock, and a hint of terror. She looked like she was about to drop to her knees.

"Harper, you are a blessing," she whispered with awe. "You are a miracle."