The Heiress's Comeback
Chapter 358: [ Volume 1] Chaper 358- Esme died..

Chapter 358: [ Volume 1] Chaper 358- Esme died..

Ray, still pale and visibly drained from the delivery, opened his eyes weakly, his gaze falling on the small bundles resting nearby. They were twins—a boy and a girl. Their delicate faces, so alike yet distinct, exuded an innocent charm that tugged at his heart. A soft, weary smile crossed his lips as he slowly sat up, the effort evident in his trembling hands.

Ignoring his body’s protests, Ray reached out and held the twins in his arms. The warmth of their tiny forms against his chest filled him with a bittersweet joy. His hands, though unsteady, gently caressed their cheeks, his touch tender and protective. Despite his exhaustion, he couldn’t resist leaning closer, his heart swelling as the twins cooed softly in response.

But his gaze drifted past the children, searching the room with growing concern. His smile faltered as his eyes landed on the empty space where Esme should have been. She had promised she would be here, to share in this moment, to hold their children together. Yet, the silence where her voice should have been was deafening, a quiet ache settling deep within him.

Ray’s brows furrowed deeply as he glanced around the room, his voice laced with growing concern. "Where is Esme?" he asked, his tone soft but edged with unease.

At his question, his brothers froze, exchanging wary glances. They didn’t have an answer, and their silence only deepened Ray’s anxiety. His eyes darted between them as he asked again, his voice firmer this time. "What happened? Did she go to the company? Is there something important?"

Aaron cleared his throat, hesitating for a moment before speaking. "No, it’s okay. I’ll try to call her," he said quickly, pulling out his phone. But even as the words left his lips, his uncertainty was evident.

In truth, Aaron and the others were just as perplexed. Esme wasn’t someone who broke her promises. She was the kind of person who would move mountains to keep her word. She had assured them she’d be back in 25 minutes, but an hour had passed, and there was still no sign of her.

Aaron frowned as he redialed her number, the repeated beeps in his ear doing little to calm his growing worry. "It’s out of reach," he muttered under his breath, trying again, though each attempt brought the same result. His unease mirrored the others’, the possibility of Esme breaking her promise too strange, too unlike her to fathom.

As Aaron’s trembling fingers hovered above his phone, ready to dial again, an unsettling shift in the atmosphere caught his attention. His gaze shifted toward the children, and then his entire body froze.

Clank

The phone slipped from his hand, clattering to the floor, forgotten. His breath caught in his throat as his eyes locked onto the tiny figure in Ray’s arms. The child—she couldn’t have been more than a few minutes old—held something that made Aaron’s blood run cold.

The room seemed to close in around him as he stood motionless, every nerve in his body tense. His gaze stayed fixed on the child’s hand, where a familiar ring gleamed, nestled on her delicate middle finger. It wasn’t just any ring—it was Esme’s ring, the one that had once adorned Esme’s hand.

"Aaron?" Helga’s voice broke the silence, tinged with both concern and confusion. She stepped closer, her brows furrowing as she studied his stricken expression. "What’s wrong?"

Then, her gaze shifted to the child. The same reaction—a tremor ran through her body, a mixture of confusion, fear, and something darker, more primal. Her breath became shallow as her eyes landed on the child’s hand, the same spot where the unmistakable tiger’s face mark had been etched into Esme’s ring.

Ray, oblivious to their reactions, frowned. "What’s going on?" he asked, shifting the girl in his arms. But as his gaze dropped to her hand, his breath caught.

There it was—a silver ring adorning her tiny middle finger. The intricate design of a tiger’s face, carved with exquisite detail, gleamed in the light.

Ray’s heart sank. The ring was too familiar to be a coincidence. It wasn’t just a piece of jewelry; it was Esme’s ring, a divine artifact bound to her and her alone.

"No..." Ray whispered, his voice breaking. His arms slackened, his body trembling as he took a step back. His gaze darted between the girl’s hand and her face, searching for answers. Her deep, soulful eyes mirrored Esme’s, filled with a haunting familiarity. But her other features... they were undeniably his.

Aaron’s legs gave way beneath him. He slumped to the floor, the shock too much to bear. His mind reeled, unable to comprehend the impossibility of what he was seeing. How could this be? How could the ring—Esme’s ring—be on this child’s finger? The child, who looked like Ray in every other way, but whose eyes carried the unmistakable trace of Esme.

For a moment, the room was silent, except for the quiet gasps and the soft shuffling of feet. Helga, ever the calm strategist, quickly recovered. She moved toward Aaron, her fingers brushing the phone that had fallen beside him.

Her hands, though shaking, betrayed nothing but urgency. She dialed Esme’s number again, pressing the device to her ear. But her gaze, never straying from the child, said everything. There was no answer, of course. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that something had irrevocably shifted.

Kay, Jay, and Ryan, who had been standing quietly on the side, finally made their way toward the child. Kay, his face pale and strained, gently reached out to touch the child’s hand, his fingers lingering on the ring.

The moment his skin made contact, a jolt shot through him—just like when he had touched Esme’s ring, over and over again.

He had felt that coolness, the smooth surface of the metal, countless times in the past. But now, the sensation felt like a dagger to his heart.

Tears welled in his eyes. He couldn’t breathe.