The Billionaire’s Secret Quartet (Thalassa and Elowen) novel Chapter 1903

Joshua could hardly believe he was going to be a father again in his golden years.

His life had been straightforward – one son, Reginald; one daughter, Rosalind; and one secret lovechild, Thalassa. That was it. No more kids, or so he thought.

He had hoped that once he retired, Reginald would take over the Whitman family business. But Reginald turned out to be a disappointment, a real dud. Joshua feared that if the business fell into Reginald's hands, it wouldn't last five years before going belly up.

Initially, Joshua had placed his bets on Lysander, planning to marry Rosalind off to him so he could take over the Whitman legacy. But Lysander's heart wasn't in it – he only had eyes for Thalassa, and no interest in the family business.

Joshua had always prided himself on his robust health, thinking he could keep going for another thirty years. But ever since that car accident, his health had been on a steady decline. Managing the company became more than he could handle, and the empire he had built over a lifetime seemed at risk of crumbling with no one reliable to pass it on to. The anxiety was eating him up, fearing all his hard work would go to waste.

That's when Susan dropped the bombshell – he had a son! And the kid was already two years old!

Starting now, Joshua had plans to groom this child as his successor, to give him the best education and send him to top-notch schools. In sixteen years, the boy could take the reins and keep the Whitman legacy alive. This child was like a ray of hope for Joshua in his darkest hour.

He naturally couldn't let anything happen to the child.