My Boss's Hidden Heir (Elara and Marcus) novel Chapter 204

Chapter 204

Marcus’s POV

The call came on Friday morning while Marcus was feeding Alexander his breakfast. Pureed sweet potatoes that somehow ended up on the baby’s face, Marcus’s shirt, and the high chair tray in equal measure.

His lawyer’s name flashed across the screen and Marcus answered immediately, phone wedged between his shoulder and ear while he tried to wipe orange goop off Alexander’s chin.

“Tell me you have good news, David.”

“Better than good. The SEC is dropping the investigation effective immediately. I just got off the phone with the lead investigator and they’re issuing a formal statement clearing you of all allegations.”

Marcus nearly dropped the spoon. “They’re what?”

“The forged documents were so obvious once we pointed them out that the SEC had no choice but to acknowledge the complaint was fraudulent. They’re actually embarrassed this got as far as it did. The investigator apologized personally.”

“So it’s over? Just like that?”

“Just like that. Your name is clear, Marcus. By Monday morning this will be old news and Thorne Industries stock will start recovering.”

Marcus set down the baby spoon and leaned against the counter, feeling like someone had lifted a concrete block off his chest. “What about finding out who filed the complaint?”

“That’s where it gets interesting. The SEC is opening a criminal investigation into the false filing. Whoever did this committed fraud against a federal agency, which carries serious penalties. They’ll be subpoenaing records from every server the complaint passed through.”

“How long will that take?”

“Weeks, maybe months. But Marcus, they will

and whoever did this. And when they do, you’ll have grounds for a massive civil suit on top of the criminal charges they’ll face.

After hanging up, Marcus just stood there for a moment trying to process that the nightmare was actually over. The investigation that had consumed his life for the past week was done. Finished. His reputation intact.

“Dada!” Alexander banged his hands on the tray, demanding more food.

r

Marcus laughed and scooped up another spoonful of sweet potato. “You’re right, buddy. Life goes on.”

He finished feeding Alexander and then went to find Elara. She was in her home office sketching designs for the boutique, Catherine asleep in a bassinet beside her desk.

“It’s over,” Marcus said from the doorway.

Elara looked up, her pencil frozen mid–stroke. “What?”

“The SEC investigation. They’re dropping it. David just called. I’m cleared of everything.”

She was out of her chair and in his arms before he could say anything else, squeezing him so tight he could barely breathe.

“Oh my God. Oh my God, Marcus, that’s incredible?”

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11:44 am P W W

Chapter 204-

know I can’t believe it’s actually over.”

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Elara pulled back to look at him, her eyes bright with tears. “We need to celebrate. Call everyone, have them come over tonight. Your dad, my mom, Mimi and Dante, Emeka, everyone who stood by us through this.”

“Are you sure? It’s last minute and you’ve been exhausted-

“I’m sure. This is huge, Marcus. We’re celebrating”

By 7 PM the penthouse was full of people and noise and laughter. Richard brought champagne, the expensive kind he only broke out for major occasions. Elara’s mother made her famous jollof rice that filled the apartment with the smell of tomatoes and spices. Mimi and Dante arrived with flowers and a cake from the bakery down the street.

Emeka showed up last, carrying a bottle of scotch and a grin. “I knew those SEC bastards would see sense eventually. Nobody messes with my boss Marcus and gets away with it.”

They toasted in the living room while the twins played on their activity mat,/oblivious to the celebration happening around them. Marcus stood with his arm around Elara, looking at all the people who’d supported them through the investigation, and felt genuinely happy for the first time in weeks.

“Speech!” Mimi called out. “Marcus, say something inspirational!”

“I’m not good at speeches.”

“You’re a CEO. Speeches are literally part of your job description.”

Marcus laughed and raised his glass. “Fine. I just want to say thank you. To everyone here who never doubted me, who stood by my family when things got scary. Especially my wife, who kept me sane when I wanted to give up. I love you all.”

“That was terrible,” Emeka whispered. “Bur

we love

you anyway.

They ate and drank and told stories late into the night. Richard recounted the board meeting where he’d shut down James Chen’s attempt to suspend Marcus. Mimi described the look/on people’s faces when the news broke that the investigation was dropped. Everyone was laughing and relaxed in a way they hadn’t been since before the kidnapping.

Around 10 PM, Alexander started fussing and Catherine followed suit moments later. Both twins were overtired from all the excitement and noise.

Elara picked up Catherine while Marcus got Alexander. They took the babies to the nursery together, working in the comfortable rhythm they’d developed over six months of parenting,

Bath time, pajamas, bottles, lullabies. By the time both twins were down, Marcus and Elara were exhausted.

They returned to the living room to find their guests starting to leave. Hugs and congratulations and promises to get together again soon. Finally the door closed behind the last person and the penthouse was quiet again.

Marcus collapsed on the couch. “I’m too old to party like that on a Friday night.”

Elara sat beside him, pulling her legs up and leaning against his shoulder. “We needed it though. After everything we’ve been through, we deserved one night of just being happy.”

“You’re right. It felt good to celebrate something instead of constantly fighting fires.”

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, both of them too tired to move but not quite ready for bed yet.

“Marcus,” Elara said eventually. “Can I ask you

something?”

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11:45 am PWN

Chapter 204

Of course,

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“Do you ever feel like we’re drowning? Like we’re trying to do too much and we’re not actually succeeding at any of it?” Marcus turned to look at her. “What do you mean?”

“I mean we’re trying to run a billion dollar company and launch a fashion boutique and raise twins and deal with kidnapping attempts and SEC investigations and somewhere in all of that we’re supposed to have a marriage and be happy. And I don’t think we’re doing any of it well.”

“I think we’re doing the best we can.”

“But is our best good enough? The twins deserve parents who aren’t constantly stressed and distracted. Your company deserves a CEO who can focus on business instead of family drama. My boutique deserves more attention than I’m giving it.” Elara’s voice cracked slightly. “And we deserve to actually enjoy being married instead of just surviving from one crisis to the next.”

Marcus pulled her closer. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying we can’t keep doing this alone. We need help, Marcus. Real help. Not just family members babysitting occasionally when we’re desperate.”

“You want to hire a nanny.”

“I want to hire a nanny and a housekeeper and maybe a personal assistant. I want to delegate the things that don’t require us personally so we can focus on what actually matters.”

“Which is?”

“Each other. The twins. Building lives we actually want

Marcus thought about the past six months. The

to live instead of just reacting to whatever disaster comes next.”

constant exhaustion, the feeling of never having enough time or energy for anything, the way he and Elara had been ships passing in the night more often than actual partners.

“You’re right. We do need help.”

“Really? You’re not going to argue that we should be able to handle everything ourselves?”

“I was going to argue exactly that about three seconds ago. But then I realized you’re absolutely right. We’ve been trying to prove we can do it all and we’re making ourselves miserable in the process.”

Elara sat up straighter. “So can we hire someone? A full time nanny?”

“We can hire whoever we need. Nanny, housekeeper, assistant, all of it. Whatever it takes to get our lives back.”

“Thank you. I know it feels like admitting defeat but-”

“It’s not defeat. It’s being smart enough to know when to ask for help.” Marcus kissed her forehead. “We’re a team, El. And good teams know how to delegate.”

They sat together planning out what help they needed and how to find the right people. It felt good to be solving a problem together instead of just surviving whatever got thrown at them.

Finally Elara yawned so wide her jaw cracked. “We should go to bed. The twins will be up in about five hours demanding breakfast”

“Not if the nanny we’re hiring handles the morning shift.”

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Chapter 204

We haven’t hired anyone yet.”

“Details. We’ll start interviews tomorrow.”

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They headed toward the bedroom but Elara stopped in the hallway, turning to face Marcus with an expression he couldn’t quite read.

“What?” he asked.

“I want my life back too.”

“What?”

Elara took a breath like she was gathering courage. “When you asked what matters, I said we both matter and the twins and building lives we want. But Marcus, I also want my own life. My boutique, my career, my identity that isn’t just wife and mother. We can’t keep doing this alone. I want my life back too.”

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