Second Marriage, The Billionaire's Planned Love novel Chapter 206

206 Chapter 206 Against His Will

Ivy’s POV 61

I had been sheltered within the fortress walls of the Thorne estate with my babies for some time. After the terrifying assassination attempt at the private clinic, I was too shaken to risk taking them anywhere beyond our secured compound, so Dr. Taylor continued making daily visits to monitor their progress. The twins were flourishing and meeting every developmental milestone perfectly.

Caleb had brought in two seasoned caretakers that Carmen had vetted through her network to help us manage the beautiful chaos. My parents had already returned to the safety of Greenleaf territory, and we were slowly establishing our rhythm as a family of six. Max was completely enchanted by his little siblings, treating them like the most precious treasures in his world, and every evening our inner circle would gather at the main house for dinner to dote on their godchildren.

“I still think it’s completely unjust that you’ve already declared Daniel gets to be Aria’s godfather. Meanwhile, the rest of us are left in limbo,” Xavier complained as he cradled one of the babies with surprising gentleness.

“Stop your whining, Xavier. At least you’re guaranteed one of them. What about me?” Zoe threw herself dramatically across the leather sofa.

“Hey, my favorite lunatic, you already claimed Max!” Caleb pointed out with a rare grin.

“I know, you magnificent brute! And I adore my little prince more than my own life!” Zoe had Max nestled in her arms, showering his chubby cheeks with kisses until he dissolved into giggles. “But our crew needs reinforcements. So when exactly are you planning to expand the family again, bestie?” Zoe’s eyes sparkled with mischief, and everyone erupted in laughter.

“Absolutely not, Zo! No more children. Look around you – we have five little

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ones!” I said, genuinely horrified at the thought of adding to our brood. “Caleb is getting the procedure done.”

“Why does it have to be me? What about you getting your tubes tied? Or we could settle it with a coin toss,” Caleb suggested with mock outrage.

“Because this way we prevent another deranged woman from claiming she’s carrying your heir!” I shot back, reminding him of the entire Yara nightmare, and his expression immediately darkened.

“Valid point. I suppose that’s the wiser strategy,” he conceded with reluctance. “But what if we decide we want another child down the line?”

I stared at him with such intensity that I genuinely contemplated violence. Our friends were practically rolling on the floor with laughter.

“Let me make this crystal clear, Mr. Thorne – until you get that vasectomy, you’re not touching me.” I crossed my arms defiantly.

“I’ll contact the doctor first thing in the morning!” Caleb promised hastily. “Now, let’s focus on what really matters here. Time to draw lots for the

babies.”

“Absolutely not happening, because you always promised I’d be godfather to your firstborn. Due to unfortunate circumstances, Zoe hijacked my godchild – I might actually contest that legally – but for now, I’m claiming August as my godson. He was born first this time, so it’s settled.” Xavier had already scooped up August along with his bottle, looking triumphant.

“Fine, since Xavier threw his tantrum, we’ll humor him,” Dominic said with exaggerated patience. “Come on, Jude, looks like we’re going to be surrounded by mini–Catherines.”

Everyone immediately claimed one of the girls, and that’s how the godparent situation resolved itself. In the end, they all agreed they’d be honorary godparents to every single baby anyway.

We were still laughing and discussing family plans when Adler entered with his wife. They’d come to visit the babies, but Adler seized the opportunity to

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update us on the investigation’s progress.

“The woman who attempted to abduct your daughter was definitely contracted by Roman for the job. Unfortunately, she’s not providing us with much useful intelligence. The only valuable information she gave up is that Roman hired her through someone called Joker. We’ve searched through every criminal contact we have access to, and none of the known operatives with that alias match the person captured on the clinic’s surveillance footage,” Adler’s frustration was etched across his weathered face. “It’s like we’re trapped in a maze. We get tantalizingly close, but we can never quite catch him. And there’s something else, Caleb – our suspicions have been confirmed. It was Brodie who sabotaged your parents‘ helicopter, acting on Roman’s direct orders,” Adler revealed.

“How did you manage to confirm that, Adler?” Caleb’s voice was tight with controlled rage.

“I interrogated Ivy’s parents extensively. They verified that Brodie disappeared from his own wedding reception for a significant period. A maintenance worker at the private airfield distinctly remembers seeing him there and even joked about whether he’d abandoned his bride,” Adler explained carefully. “But I have to be honest with you – the evidence is circumstantial at best. I desperately need his confession. Too much time has passed for me to recover security footage from that day. I’m actively searching for additional witnesses, but I need to build a much stronger case.”

“Is he willing to cooperate with our investigation?” Caleb asked.

“Well…” Adler rubbed his chin uncomfortably. “That’s where we hit a major obstacle.”

“He’s refusing to talk,” I concluded.

“Actually, he’s claiming he’ll reveal everything – including exactly how he and Roman first connected and began working together – but he’s making one non–negotiable demand. He insists on speaking directly with you, Ivy. He won’t say another word unless you agree to meet with him,” Adler delivered

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the bombshell.

“Absolutely not!” Caleb immediately tensed up, his protective instincts flaring dangerously. “My wife is not going anywhere near that psychopath.”

“Caleb, if he maintains his silence, even if we manage to eliminate him for your parents‘ murder, we’ll never get the full picture. He’ll take his secrets to the grave. And he might be our only lead to finding Roman,” Adler explained patiently. “Trust me, I hate asking this of you, but I need Ivy’s cooperation.”

“I’ll do it,” I said without hesitation.

“Like hell you will!” Caleb snapped back.

“And exactly who’s going to stop me?” I challenged him.

“Ivy, I’m your husband,” Caleb was seething with anger.

“But you’re not my master,” I replied firmly. “I refuse to sit on the sidelines if I can help put the people who murdered your parents in the ground. This isn’t open for debate. Adler, go ahead and arrange it. Just tell me what I need to

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