Apples do not fall far from the tree, were words I heard non-stop growing up. They were not said by kind strangers. These words came with a look of disgust, first at my mother and then down at me as I tried to hide my face in her skirts, away from an angry legal wife, fiancee or even girlfriend. My mother had the reputation of being a homewrecker, and even my birth had a scandalous event surrounding it. So I grew up determined to never be like her. To avoid men in general. Well, until I met Blaine. Blaine was different, mature, kind, attentive. But Blaine turned me into what I had feared most and spent my whole life trying not to be, a homewrecker.

Chapter 1 The Takeda Heir

"Father. I cannot believe you are doing this."

The old Takeda-san looked away from his son, down at me, sitting at the end of the table.

He smiled, and then winked. I smiled back.

His son looked at the both of us in horror.

Takeda-san Shin was Japan's Elon Musk, and at least eighty years old.

He finally turned lazy eyes to his son, "Sit, or get out." He spat.

"Gomen, Otõsan." His son bowed deeply in apology, shot me a dirty look and sat beside his father.

The rest of the Takeda clan began to file into the large room, each holding less love in their heart for me, till the woman who downright hated me walked in.

"Who asked the dogs to the master's table?" She looked from me, to my mother sitting beside me in disgust.

I looked away, down at my hands clenched tightly in my lap.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of. Hold your head high," My mother whispered fiercely to me, then she stood up.

"What breed is your favorite nephew then? Only a dog fucks a dog." She spat angrily.

Everyone around the table gasped.

Women never spoke such profanity in public here, unlike the US where I was mostly raised.

But my mother did not give a darn. She had never been one to care.

Blaine's sister-in-law, Aoi Takeda, looked at my mother with a sneer.

"Still as vulgar as ever." She said, "I thought you would feel a little shame after your daughter got pregnant by the same man who you claimed was her father over twenty years ago."

The other family members at the table began to whisper among themselves.

"But I guess I was expecting too much from a classless wh*re." She continued.

"I would feel shame when Blaine does. If he had stuck to women his age, we would not be here." My mother fired back.

I hated this.

I hated this so much.

I did not want to be here. I would have quietly slipped away after I found out I was pregnant.

I would have done so successfully if only I had not told my mother.

She had come down from the US to confront Blaine, my boss, right there in the office.

Even recognizing him as her high school boyfriend, the man who should have been my father, did not make her back down.

Aoi Takeda waved her hand at my mother dismissively.

She bowed deeply to old Takeda-san, the head of the Takeda family, and attempted to sit, but he stopped her.

"Ie. You said you cannot share tables with dogs. Step outside." Takeda-san said.

"Otõsan." Dad. Aoi said in shock.

"Go, your husband will tell you all that was discussed when we are done," he said.

Aoi stared in horror, her face burning in embarrassment.

She finally bowed deeply and left.

On her way out, she walked past Blaine and his fianceé who had just arrived.

I looked away. Blaine was finally here.

We did not look at each other as he bowed to his grandfather and all the older people at the table before he took his seat with Ophelia.

Takeda-san glanced at his lawyer, then turned back to the table, and smiled.

"It has been a while since I saw my whole family gathered in one place. The talk of my money got you all running here, eh." He laughed merrily.

His lawyer smiled politely beside him.

"You are all even actually sitting like you like each other." He laughed again.

No one moved.

I tried to keep my head down, and only occasionally stole glances up.

"Let's not waste more time, so you can all go back to work. Mõshon is currently in the hands of strangers." Takeda-san stretched out his hand to his lawyer.

His lawyer placed a sheet of paper I recognized well in his hand.

"I had a DNA test conducted. I went to the hospital myself with Ariel. The baby is yours Blaine." Takeda-san smiled, and shook his head.

Blaine looked at me from across the table, and I immediately looked down.

My heart was beating fast, and I felt a flutter in my belly. I was not sure if it was the babies in my still flat belly, or the butterflies I still got when Blaine looked at me.

"It was not exactly the safest thing to do, but it had to be done," Takeda-san continued. "For all her troubles, I decided to give her my shares." He said.

The table went silent for one minute, and then there was commotion.

A stranger

Father, how could you

A loose woman

The Takeda name will be ruined

"Shares are never supposed to go outside the family." Blaine's uncle's voice finally broke through the noise.

Takeda-san turned to him.

"That is exactly why I gave it to her. She has my great-grandson in her belly." He said, as the table went silent again to listen to him.

I glanced up at him and wondered how he had not slipped yet.

Only he and I knew there were two babies. That was another thing that had swayed the old man's decisions.

But it was our little secret. He warned me not to tell anyone about it.

"But father," Blaine's uncle started to say.

"I am not done." Takeda-san raised his hand.

The table went silent again, watching him, waiting.

"This afternoon I made her son my legal heir. As soon as he turns six, his guardian will begin to make the company's decisions on his behalf and, at eighteen, he will become the head of the Takeda estate."

This came as a shock to even me.

I had no idea that the old man would do this.

Blaine had been his heir since he lost his father when he was younger. And Blaine still had many uncles, aunties and cousins alive and well.

Blaine was staring at his grandfather in shock.

"So, Ariel Grigor has officially become the lady of the Takeda estate, and you will all treat her as such."

He turned to Blaine.

"It is totally your decision to make her a Takeda, and keep it all in the family or not."

"You would disinherit me?" Blaine looked at his grandfather in disbelief.

"I did not. I simply gave my money to your first son."

"This must be a joke." One of Blaine's cousins laughed.

Takeda-san laughed with him and then turned to his lawyer.

"My grandson thinks it is a joke."

"It is not, Sir."

"He is not even your first great-grandchild." Another woman sitting not very far from me shouted in frustration.

"And we cannot be sure he will survive till term." I clearly heard a whisper.

I looked around me in fright as my blood went cold.

I could not tell who had said that.

Was I imagining things? Even my mother who sat beside me did not look like she had heard. She had all her attention on Takeda-san.

I instinctively placed my hand on my belly.

"Otõsan." I heard Blaine's uncle say, pulling my attention again. "I understand you may be outraged at the scandal this has caused in the last few months. But she is not even of our class. The Soujis may use this opportunity to finally get their hands on our shares."

"That is exactly what I am preventing."

"Otõsan. This is not the best way to go about it."

"What is?" Takeda-san finally exploded. "You expect me to let Tahara's granddaughter get everything?" He pointed angrily at Ophelia sitting beside Blaine.

"You expect me to watch my sweat go to the daughter of the man who said nothing while Souji bullied me and tried to steal my company?"

He stood up shakily.

"There will be no more talks about this. If you don't like it, get Blaine to marry her."

He sighed.

"She deserves it better than you lots, anyway. I found my gift of design in her, the same gift that made the empire you all are now grasping at when not even one of you bothered to inherit or learn the art."

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