Apollo shrank back, his heart beating faster than a quarterback determined to earn his team a victory in the last minute of the game. But before he could speak, his mother rose to her feet. She positioned herself in front of her son, her body a shield.
"Darling," she said, her voice steady despite the storm inside. "Apollo has something to tell you. But before you react, I need you to remember--he’s still our youngest son and we love him."
Griffin’s brows furrowed. "Tell me."
Apollo’s voice cracked as he forced the words out. "I got Claire Dane pregnant."
The room seemed to tilt, thick with disbelief. His father’s jaw tightened, his fists clenching at his sides. "Claire Dane?" he repeated, the name dripping with disdain.
"Yes," Apollo repeated firmly. "Claire Dane."
"The inherited danger of my friend Apollo, Claire Dane!" His father exclaimed in shock.
Apollo nodded.
"The Claire Dane who cost us millions in public relations with her essay on how our wealth was a danger to the morals of all the young men in this country?" Griffin’s voice deepened.
Apollo laughed nervously. "She didn’t mean it, dad. And it was millions of years ago."
"It was fifteen years ago." His father growled.
Apollo smiled like the charmer he was. "So, over a decade ago. And we have all forgiven her. That essay had nothing to do with the company and more to do with me."
Griffin snorted. "Son, ninety percent of the time when we were called to your school, it was because you two had fought verbally or physically."
"I know." Apollo’s smile broadened. "And we forgive her, right?"
Griffin raised his hand. "Forgive her! She won gold at the math Olympiad when you were seventeen, and do you remember what she did?"
How could Apollo forget it? Claire had stood at the podium with a shiny gold medal around her neck. He had stood next to her with the silver medal, his smile tight, his mother’s smile beaming like the sun. When Claire was asked to give a speech, she had spoken with the poise of a champion and the bite of a rival.
"Winning isn’t about a charming smile, the size of your house or the number of hotels your family owns," she said, her voice calm but cutting. "It’s about grit, not inheritance. Only when you work hard and earn it does something truly belong to you." She had touched that gold medal at her chest and raised it. "I earned this."
The crowd had roared, but the Ashfords sat frozen.
Apollo sighed. "To be sincere, I did antagonize her before the competition by claiming I had the win in the bag, and she was struggling for peanuts. And there were some rumors that mom was going to bribe someone to get me the gold medal. They were false rumors, but Claire believed them anyway. We are lucky she did not do worse."
In a way, that speech was the reason why he was driven to start his own business. He had to earn his own money and someday prove to her that he was not simply waiting for an inheritance.
Griffin growled. Apollo took a step back, worried that his father might punch him.
Mrs. Paisley stepped closer to her husband, her hand resting gently on his arm. "I know what you are thinking. I know what she’s done. But she is pregnant with our grandchild now. We can’t ignore this."
Two boys ran into the room and hugged Griffin’s thighs.
"Grandpa, I missed you." The youngest cried out coquettishly.
"Grandpa, I am learning how to surf." The older one shared.
The boys were Zane Ashford, the son of Luca and his wife Britney. He was six years old and expected to be heir after his father.
The younger one was Quentin Ashford, the son of Hugo and his wife Kaida. Everyone said he had Apollo’s charm and would grow up to be like his uncle. At four years old, he could already use that charm to manipulate his grandparents into buying him toys and everything he wanted.
"Dad, we could hear the growls all the way from outside," Luca started, taking a seat and crossing his legs. "What is going on? Everything at the company is fine. No hotel has reported serious problems."
Hugo smirked. "Luca, can’t you tell? Apollo, the rare dinner guest has showed up after making headlines yesterday. His new girlfriend is the fake Dane heiress who was thrown out by her family. Not his usual type."
Apollo shot Hugo a glare, warning his brother to shut up. "She is not just any new girlfriend; she is the mother of my child."
"I am sorry, what?" Hugo exploded. "Did I hear you right? What child?"
Their mother sighed. "Apollo got Claire Dane pregnant."
Luca and Hugo turned to Apollo with wide shocked gazes.
"I always knew this day would come, but how?" Hugo asked, sinking into a chair while shaking his head. "When did you get involved with her?"
This question had everyone turning to look at Apollo curiously. The press loved to keep track of his relationships. A new girlfriend was always a hot topic. As far as they knew, Apollo’s latest girlfriend was French supermodel Elodie Moreau. When had Claire Dane come into the picture?
"Is it a boy or girl baby?" Quentin asked.
This question was equally important. For six generations, the Ashfords had carried a peculiar legacy: In every branch of the family tree, only one girl was born.
Daughters were like pandas in this family--precious and fiercely protected. Each generation waited with bated breath, knowing that among a sea of sons, a single daughter would emerge.
Mrs. Paisley had given birth to three sons. It was her hope that one of her sons would be the lucky one to have a baby girl in their generation. But so far, two sons had given her two grandsons.
Apollo shrugged. "I don’t know. But I do know that Claire’s mother’s side of the family gives birth to daughters the same way we do sons."
His mother gasped. His father smiled.
Luca burst into laughter. "Look at that, Apollo has finally done something great. I have seen grown men tremble when Claire Dane walks into a room looking to score a contract. I myself have lost to her, twice. How many companies have tried to recruit her and failed because she was focused on her family business? We also tried and failed.
There was talk two months ago that she was looking to expand into the hotel business. Alden was a fool to let her go before she could build him an empire. If she had remained with that family, I have a feeling that she would have built them to a point of being our business rivals.
Our little brother walked into a potential rival’s den and recruited their top fighter to our side. Dad, this is a victory for us. Put aside the past and only consider the benefits."
Apollo chimed in. "She has an IQ of 160. Her grandmother gave birth to four daughters. Her aunt gave birth to two daughters. Her great grandmother had five daughters."
Griffin laughed boisterously, the sound rolling through the room like thunder. "Apollo, my great son, no wonder you were named after the god of the sun. You truly know how to pick the brightest gem in the room. Claire Dane is bringing me a granddaughter and her genius brain. I approve of this relationship. Bring my daughter-in-law home as soon as possible."