The Billionaire’s Secret Quartet (Thalassa and Elowen) novel Chapter 1689

Hertha gasped, desperately wanting to shut Alaric up before he could spill any more secrets. But with her mother standing right there, any attempt to silence Alaric would only make her seem guilty. Her initial impulse to shove Alaric under the couch was to keep her mother from finding out the truth. Her mother didn’t know the kids were Alaric’s, and Hertha wanted to keep it that way. Once her mother found out, she’d lose any control over the situation. But the secret was out now!

Kimberly's eyes widened like saucers as she looked back and forth between Alaric and Hertha, her finger trembling in the air as she stammered, “Hertha, is it true? What he just said, is it true?”

“Hertha, no need to put on a show in front of Mom,” Alaric chimed in. The way Alaric called Kimberly "Mom" made her ears tingle with joy. She had never heard such a sweet sound before.

Hertha shot Alaric a glare, blaming him for putting her in this awkward position.

“Out with it, Hertha! Is what he said true?” Kimberly was losing patience, her tone sharp.

Buckling under the pressure, Hertha muttered a weak, “Yeah.”

Hertha's simple acknowledgment sent Kimberly into a frenzy, “Oh my stars! He really is Julian and Helena’s father!”

After her initial excitement, Kimberly remembered Hertha’s earlier lies, smacking her arm in frustration, “You little rascal, when I asked you if Alaric was the father, you beat around the bush, saying he wasn’t! Why keep it a secret? What’s there to hide?”

Hertha rubbed her sore arm, feeling wronged.

Alaric quickly defended her, “Don’t blame Hertha. It was my own fault for not realizing the kids were mine.”