MY BILLIONAIRE EX THREW $30 AT ME WHEN I WAS PREGNANT AND SAID: "TAKE IT AND DISAPPEAR!" 10 YEARS LATER, I SAW HIM ON TV TELLING MILLIONS: "MY GREATEST REGRET IS THAT I NEVER HAD CHILDREN." I LOOKED AT THE 10-YEAR-OLD TWINS SLEEPING BESIDE ME—BOTH CARRYING HIS UNMISTAKABLE FACE—AND LAUGHED. THEN I TEXTED MY LAWYER: "GET THE INVITATIONS READY. WE'RE ATTENDING HIS COMPANY GALA."

Ropes dropped through the shattered glass dome above!

Ethan descended first, firing non-lethal flash rounds that instantly blinded the armed guards surrounding the perimeter. I dropped right behind him, clad in a sleek tactical suit, landing gracefully on the marble floor as smoke filled the grand council hall.

"Victoria!" Marcus yelled over the chaos.

Ethan moved with terrifying speed, cutting Marcus's bonds with his combat knife and grabbing little Lily, pulling her into a safe alcove behind the stone pillars.

Lord James scrambled backward, his face contorted in shock and rage. "Guards! Kill them! Kill all of them!"

I stepped through the swirling smoke, holding a sleek electronic pad linked directly to the Swiss Banking Authority and Interpol.

"It's over, James," my voice echoed with absolute authority through the shattered hall. "Look at your screens."

The giant monitors on the wall flickered. The live feed of Chicago vanished, replaced by a live broadcast from the Chicago Police Department: our children's transport hadn't been hijacked at all! The convoy James was tracking was a decoy, while Noah and Sophie were safe inside a secure federal facility under the personal protection of the US Attorney General!