It was a clear spring afternoon when Alexander Graves, a self-made billionaire and one of Silicon Valley’s most well-known executives, finished the guest list for his wedding. Alexander had been in the headlines for years because he was rich, had a great business mind, and had a string of famous relationships. He was now ready to settle down again. This time, he was marrying Cassandra Belle, a stunning model who became an influencer and had two million followers. A lot of properties are worth less than her engagement ring.
He stopped at one line and tapped the table while he looked over the names with his assistant.
“Send
His aide blinked. “Lila… your ex-wife?”
“Yes,” he said with a smile. “I want her to see it.” Check out what she missed.
He didn’t go into depth, but the way he talked made it clear.
Before the millions, the applications, the rounds of venture capital, and the magazine covers, Lila Monroe-Graves had been with Alexander. They got married when they were in their mid-20s, and money was tight, but they were hopeful. She had faith in him when no one else did. But after five years of late nights, meetings with investors, and her husband progressively turning into a man she didn’t recognize, their marriage came to an end.
She left without any trouble or legal issues. There was just a signed divorce and her old ring on the kitchen counter. He didn’t push her for answers because he thought she either couldn’t keep up with his growing objectives or didn’t want to.
He never really understood why she went so soon, and to be honest, he didn’t care. Not till now.
Lila sat on her porch in a quiet neighborhood outside of San Diego and watched her six-year-old twins, Noah and Nora, draw with chalk on the driveway. She looked around the gorgeous cardboard as she opened the mail that had just come.
“Mr. Alexander Graves and Miss Cassandra Belle would like to invite you…”
She read it two times. Her fingers went tighter around the edges.
“Mommy, what’s that?” Nora asked, stepping close to her.
Lila set the card down on the table and said, “A wedding invitation.” “From your… father.”
The words were heavy. It had been a long time since she yelled them out loud.
Noah looked up, not sure what to do next. “Is there a father?”
Lila gently nodded her head. “You do,” she said.
They didn’t know anything about him, only that he was someone from her past. She had never told them all about the man who made the news. She had to raise her twins by herself, initially by working two jobs and then by founding her own little interior design business. There were times when she cried alone at night, wishing things had gone differently. But she never regretted keeping them away from Alexander’s world of cameras and egos.
But when she saw the invitation, something inside her changed. She remembered the man he used to be, the one who would write down app ideas on napkins and dream of changing the world. The one who held her hand while she was scared about giving birth, before she lost their first child. The loss of the baby hurt them more than any of them would ever say.
She learned she was pregnant again immediately after he signed a major deal and started going missing for days at a time. She tried to reach him, but he always stated he was “in a meeting” or “on a plane” when she called. Then she saw him on TV at a launch party, where he kissed another woman.
That was the last straw for me. She never told him why she left; she just packed her stuff and left with nothing.
He wanted her to see his new, happy life six years later.
For a moment, she thought about throwing away the invitation. But then she saw her kids, two beautiful little beings with his dark eyes and sharp cheekbones.
It might be time for him to find out what he missed.
She took out her phone and smiled a little.
“Okay, kids,” she said. “We’re going to a wedding.”
The wedding venue was the height of modern luxury. It was a copy of an Italian house in the rolling hills of California, with rose-draped arches, marble flooring, and crystal chandeliers framing the main courtyard. People in fancy suits and gowns talked, drank champagne, and took pictures for Instagram.
Alexander stood next to the altar, looking happy in the tuxedo he created himself. Cassandra looked beautiful in a couture Dior dress next to him, but her smile didn’t seem right; it didn’t appear to reach her eyes.
He turned his head away after that.
Lila entered gently, dressed in a navy blue outfit that matched her perfectly. There were two youngsters, a boy and a girl, around six years old, on either side of her. She had her hair nicely tied back. Their faces were calm but curious, and their huge eyes were silently taking everything in.
Alexander didn’t believe she would come.
Cassandra moved closer and murmured softly. “Is that your ex-wife?”
He nodded, but he wasn’t paying attention.
“And what about the kids?” she asked, staring at the twins.
He quickly said, “It must belong to someone else,” yet his stomach felt tight.
As Lila got near, the crowd got quiet. She stopped a few feet away from him, and the twins were right next to her.
In a calm voice, she said, “Hello, Alexander.”
He smiled at himself. “Lila. I’m delighted you could make it.
She gazed at all the nice things around her. “It’s a great show.”
He chuckled a little. “How can I say that?” “Things are different now.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Yes, they have.”
Alexander’s eyes went to the kids, who were now looking up at him peacefully. His throat tightened.
He asked, “Friends of yours?” but he already had a clear sense of what was going on.
Lila whispered softly, “They’re yours.” “These are your kids.”
The words hit him like a freight train.
The commotion from the arena stopped for a while, and all he could hear was the dull roar of blood rushing through his ears. He gazed at the kids: Noah had a strong jaw, and Nora had almond-shaped eyes. Nora’s almond-shaped eyes and Noah’s strong jaw looked like his own.
He had to swallow hard. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Lila’s eyes were still. “I gave it a try. For weeks. But you were always too busy. After that, I saw you on TV with another woman. So I left.
He uttered it in a whisper. “You should have told me anyway.”
“I was pregnant, alone, and tired,” she stated in a firm voice. “I didn’t want to beg you to notice me while you were playing the tech god.”
Cassandra, who had been watching from the sidelines, stepped in and pulled Alexander aside. “Is this real?”
He didn’t say anything. He was unable to.
The twins stood there awkwardly, feeling the tension in the room.
“Do you want to say hi?” Lila asked them quietly.
Noah stepped up and offered his hand. “Hey. Noah is my name. I like dinosaurs and space.
Nora did the same thing. “Hey, I’m Nora.” I can do a cartwheel and I like to sketch.
Alexander knelt down because he was experiencing too much. “Hey… I’m… “I am your father.”
The twins nodded. There were no expectations or judgments, just acceptance.
There was one tear on his face. “I had no idea.” I had no idea.
Lila’s face got a little softer. “I didn’t come here to hurt you.” I came because you asked me to. You wanted to show me how great you’ve done.
He slowly got up, feeling the weight of reality on him. “And now I see that I missed out on six years of my best success.”
The wedding coordinator gave him a little pat on the shoulder. “Five minutes until we start.”
Cassandra was already pacing, which was a sign that she was upset.
Alexander turned around and stared at Lila and the kids. “I need some time…” I want to know more about them. “Can we talk?”
Lila thought about it for a moment before nodding. “That depends.” Lila thought about it before she nodded. “That depends.” Do you want to be a father now, or do you just want people to perceive you as a man who got into this situation? Her question was more important than any news story or drop in the stock market. He spoke slowly, his voice shaking, “I want to be their father.”
Her question hurt more than any news story or stock market dip.
He continued softly, his voice quivering, “I want to be their dad.” “If you let me.”
There was no wedding.
Cassandra gave a statement to the public later that day about “misaligned values” and the “need for clarity.” There was a lot of talk on social media for a week.
But Alexander didn’t care about any of that now.
For the first time in years, he went home. He didn’t go to an empty mansion; he went to a modest backyard where two kids were playing and laughing and a woman he used to love was waiting for him, ready to forgive him.
And for the first time in a long time, he wasn’t trying to take over the world.
He was putting back together something that was considerably more fragile and priceless.
A group of people.
