CHAPTER TWELVE

Gustin Pov

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he let out a slow, frustrated breath this tension between him and Bellamy had been festering for years, he had loved her once, in a time where that love felt like all he needed to survive, to breath.

Then his business had started to take flight, and under the weight of his busy schedule growing a business empire and her incessant demands.

Their relationship had crumbled, he took the blame for leading her on, but he had felt guilty, his absence had made her cheat, not being there for her, and so when the opportunity came to redeem himself he had taken it.

Only he wasn't satisfied with this life, where the only thing he had in common with a woman he had once loved was their son, and even that was strained.

He had tried, muddled through it pulled between business, personal obligations, and the guilt that never seemed to leave. But with Leilani back in the picture, everything seemed even more complicated. He didn’t know how he was going to handle it—balancing the life he had with Bellamy and their son, and the life he could have had with Leilani and the twins.

Because he may have not been the best of father's but he wanted to be in his children's life no matter what and Bellamy was not the kind to forgive a slight.

The thought of it made his head spin.

Gustin stood up abruptly, pacing the narrow aisle of the plane.

He couldn’t keep living like this, he needed to make a decision. To confront Leilani, and figure out what the hell he was going to do about it all.

But first he needed the evidence.

" Sir do you need something" the air hostess smiled at him and he shook his head.

Walking back to his seat, he dropped in it like a sack, he looked out the window again, the clouds blurring he ran a hand through his hair, glancing at the folder on the table beside him—the details of the deal he was supposed to be preparing for. But it was impossible to focus. His mind was tangled up in too many other things—Thomas, Leilani, the twins, something inside him had shifted the moment he saw Leilani and the children and now it was hard to shift it back

"Sir?" Lucas’s voice broke through his thoughts again as he approached with a tablet in hand.

"I’ve contacted a private investigator to start looking into Ms. Jordan and her children. We should have preliminary information by the end of the week, or when we land back in London"

Gustin nodded, though he barely registered the words.

"Good. Keep me updated." he mumbled and received a sharp nod

" You need to look at this before we land " Lucas muttered handing him the tablet, Gustin grabbed it out of his hand , took a deep breath and went to work. As the plane began its descent, Gustin felt the slight dip as they touched the ground, It was time to push everything out of his mind first and focus on business.

---

The rest of the week was meetings so he barely had time to think of anything else, he spent more time in planes than the actual cities he visited and in a few moments of quiet he worried about the possibilities of Leilani leaving before he got back.

A wave of exhaustion washed over him and had him sleeping for the whole flight. He woke up just as the plane touched down smoothly, across the tarmac and as the cabin door opened, Gustin’s focus shifted back to the present.

He straightened his suit jacket and gathered his things, his mind still heavy with thoughts of Leilani and his children.

As he stepped off the plane, Lucas was already waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, he had let him go back earlier two countries ago, to help him prepare for the conference that was in four days from now

Lucas stood wrapped in a slick suit, tablet in hand the very epitome of a true gentleman.

" You really need to find a wife" he muttered as he joined him and Lucas smiled

" I'll be sure to tell you when I find the one sir" he muttered and Gustin laughed

“Sir, I’ve compiled all the information on Leilani Jordan” he said, handing him a sleek folder.

“Everything you requested is in here, including her recent whereabouts, family connections, and details about the twins.”

" She's still here– in London" he asked and he nodded

" Yes sir, with her mother and sister"

" No husband" he asked, his palm squeezing the folder tightly

" No sir,"

" And the DNA" he asked and Lucas cleared his throat,

" That was harder to get but we did get it" he mumbled handing over the folder. Gustin took it, feeling the weight of his future in his hand.

He nodded at Lucas ,

“Thank you, Lucas ,” he said, his voice clipped.

“I’ll review it in the car"

Lucas gave him a curious look but didn’t mention it

“I’ll arrange your transportation to the hotel, sir. You have a meeting scheduled there for tomorrow morning "

" And the conference"

" Is being prepared" Lucas muttered and he nodded

" Get my apartment ready and clear my schedule for the next three days. Make sure I have everything I need to have Thomas over." He ordered as he climbed into the waiting car, Lucas followed after him

" And make sure that Bellamy is sane" he mumbled and Lucas nodded

" Yes sir"

Certain that he'd prepared everything he needed to, Gustin glanced down at the folder in his hand again.

Opening that folder also meant confronting a past he had buried almost four years ago so he could survive.

His heart raced with a mix of anticipation and fear, inside this folder were the answers to the questions that had been plaguing him ever since he saw Leilani again, the children were a big bonus to him and so he opened the folder.

By the time he was done, his decision was already made for him, there was no letting her go, not with his children at the very least.

" Find out where she is right now.,"