The Encounter that Changes Everything

The next few hours passed in a blur for Nikolai. His mind was a whirlwind, trying to piece together the information he had just received. Triplets. His children. And yet, he still didn't understand how it had all happened. The details were fuzzy, and his memories of that night in the club seemed like they belonged to someone else entirely.

By the time he stepped into his car, he was ready for answers. The luxury vehicle sped through the city streets, his fingers tapping an anxious rhythm on the armrest as he stared out of the window, watching the world move past him. The city was as indifferent as it always was—chaotic, bustling, and oblivious to the fact that his entire world was about to be turned upside down.

As he arrived at the address Diana had given him, Nikolai couldn't shake the feeling of unease that clung to him. It wasn't fear. No, he wasn't afraid of anything, least of all a woman. But the unknown hung over him, threatening to suffocate him in the most uncomfortable way.

The club wasn't busy at this hour, the crowds thinning as the night wound down, but the atmosphere still crackled with energy. Nikolai didn't even wait for the doorman to greet him as he strode past the velvet ropes and through the door, heading straight for the back office where he knew Amelia would be.

When he arrived, the door was slightly ajar. He knocked once, then entered without waiting for an invitation.

Inside, Amelia sat behind a desk, her back straight, her face calm but guarded. She hadn't heard him coming. He knew this.

She was exactly as he remembered—radiant, powerful in a quiet way, a woman who didn't need to announce her presence to be noticed. She wasn't looking at him, but her head tilted slightly, as though she sensed him there, even without seeing him.

For a moment, Nikolai stood in the doorway, simply watching her. Amelia wasn't wearing the glamorous dress from the night they met. Instead, she was dressed in a simple white blouse and a pair of black trousers, her dark hair pulled back in a loose bun. She didn't look like a woman who had just learned she was pregnant with triplets, but she certainly looked like someone who wasn't about to take anything lying down.

He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click. The sound seemed to echo louder than it should have.

"Amelia," he said, his voice unexpectedly rough.

She looked up then, her lips pressing into a thin line as if she'd been preparing for this moment all along. "Mr. Steel," she replied, the coolness in her tone making it clear that the last thing she wanted to deal with right now was him.

Nikolai didn't move closer. Instead, he studied her, his gaze running over her figure as though he was trying to decipher a puzzle. "You didn't tell me about the children," he said, his words blunt and direct.

"I wasn't exactly planning on running to you for help," she answered dryly. "I thought you'd be gone like all the other men."

"Men?" His brow furrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

Amelia's lips curled into a small, bitter smile. "I know what kind of man you are, Nikolai Steel. You have a reputation. The womanizer. The businessman who cares only about his empire, his money, and himself."

Nikolai couldn't deny it. She was right, after all. That was who he had been. But something about her words hit harder than he expected.

"I'm not like that anymore," he said, his voice firmer than he felt. "I didn't know what happened that night. I don't remember—"

"You were drunk," she interrupted, the words coming out with a cold edge. "That much I remember."

The silence that followed was thick, heavy, as if the air itself was holding its breath.

He finally took a step closer, drawn to her in a way he couldn't explain. "Amelia, I... I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't want to cause you any harm. But these children... they're mine. And I'm not running from that responsibility."

Her face softened for the briefest moment, but only for a split second. The vulnerability she tried so hard to hide flickered in her eyes before she shut it down, replacing it with the stoic expression she'd perfected over the years.

"You don't need to do anything," she said, standing up from her desk and taking a step back, creating distance between them. "I'm more than capable of taking care of myself and the children. I don't need you, Nikolai. I've survived without you before, and I will continue to do so."

Something stirred in him at her words. Her strength. Her pride. She wasn't begging for his help, wasn't expecting him to swoop in and save the day. No, she was standing her ground. And he admired that.

But it also frustrated him. Because this wasn't how it was supposed to be.

"Amelia, you don't understand. These kids are mine. I have every right to be in their lives." His voice was more insistent now, and for the first time, he felt a real sense of urgency.

She turned her back on him then, her hand resting on the edge of the desk, her voice calm but unyielding. "You don't get to just walk in here and demand anything, Nikolai. Not after you've abandoned me, not after you left me with nothing but your memory. I won't let you tear up my life again. You've already caused enough damage."

Nikolai took a step toward her, closing the distance between them. "I'm not abandoning anyone, Amelia," he said, his voice low. "Not this time."

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. There was something in the air, a crackling tension that neither could ignore.

Finally, she turned around to face him, her expression a mixture of determination and something else—something he couldn't quite place. "You want to help? Then prove it. But don't expect me to roll over and make this easy for you."

Nikolai stared at her, his chest tightening. The battle between them had just begun, and he had a feeling it would be unlike anything he had ever faced before.

He wasn't just fighting for his children anymore. He was fighting for something more.

Her.