Three years later. The scent of warmed milk hung in the air of a small, sunlit apartment. "Dinner time!" Maya Hayes placed six baby bottles on the table, lining them up one by one. She leaned gently against the table and waited. A moment later, the door burst open and a half-dozen toddlers rushed in like a tiny, determined army. "Mommy! Mommy!" The chaotic scene brought a frantic smile to Maya's face. "Wait!" Her warning was too late. The children swarmed her, their combined force knocking her backward onto the sofa in a flurry of limbs. Noah, the smallest, was jostled out of the pile-up and rolled several times across the carpet. He came to a stop in the corner, his face a perfect mask of bewilderment. Liam and Chloe scrambled onto her torso. The identical twins, Julie and Owen, draped themselves over her legs, while Leah sat triumphantly on her waist. Pinned beneath five of her children, with the sixth now struggling to climb aboard, Maya felt like a human jungle gym. She smiled helplessly, then pushed her glasses up her nose and feigned a stern expression. "Alright, off you go! Find your seats and sit down!" Seeing that their mother seemed angry, the little ones disentangled themselves one by one and trotted to the table. They sat in their high chairs, clutching their bottles and drinking quietly, stealing occasional glances to make sure she wasn't still cross. Maya couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. In moments like these, her sense of achievement and a fierce maternal love swelled within her. Three years ago, a mistake in a bar had led to a one-night stand. Impossibly, that single night had resulted in a pregnancy. She had still been a student. How could she have a baby? She was ready to terminate the pregnancy, but an ultrasound revealed not one heartbeat, but six. The shock was so great she had fainted right there in the doctor’s office. What could she do? She couldn't possibly end six lives. So, she had finished her degree while pregnant and then given birth to them all. The six children were named Liam, Chloe, Owen, Julie, Leah, and Noah. Three boys and three girls, each with their own distinct personality, each unbearably cute. Now that the children were three, Maya had finally moved back to her hometown. The first thing she did upon her return was look for a job. With six mouths to feed, she desperately needed a source of income. Maya often sighed to herself that the man from that night hadn't just been a skilled lover; his fertility was apparently off the charts. Six at once! She had sent out twenty resumes. To her immense relief, she had received an interview invitation from the receptionist at Sterling Group today. This was a major breakthrough. Sterling Group was the premier company in Northwood, the dream destination for top university graduates. It was said that the most ambitious graduates would rather work their way up at Sterling Group than start their own companies—a testament to its power and prestige. Although it was only an interview for a front desk position, for a newcomer to the professional world like her, it was a rare opportunity to be in contact with so many business elites. After getting the six little ones settled, Maya gave a few simple instructions to Maya, the nanny, then tidied herself up and hurried out. The Sterling Group building was a steel and glass monolith that seemed to pierce the clouds, its sheer scale enough to intimidate anyone stepping inside for the first time. Maya clenched her fists, giving herself a silent pep talk. You can do this. Inside a conference room in the building, the silence was heavy. Mr. Knight sat at the head of the table, looking down as he flipped through a stack of documents. His face was as chiseled as a sculpture, strikingly handsome, and a powerful aura emanated from him, filling the entire room. The interviewer next to him was sweating, afraid to even shift in his seat, utterly baffled as to why the president himself was sitting in on these interviews. After dismissing another graduate from a prestigious school, one of the interviewers glanced at Damien Knight, trying to read his boss's expression. He found that the president's attention wasn't on the candidate files at all, but on a monitor displaying a live feed from the waiting area. The cameras had been installed to observe the interviewees' demeanor. Mr. Knight’s deep, complex eyes were fixed on one person in particular. A woman. On the screen, Maya Hayes possessed a youthful energy, yet carried herself with a mature grace. It wasn't that her features were unlike other women's, but her every frown and smile exuded a unique allure that reminded him, with a jolt, of that night three years ago. At that moment, Maya was shown to the waiting area by a receptionist. She glanced at her number, 15, then looked up at the long line of candidates ahead of her. She couldn't help but feel that this truly was one of the top companies in the country; even the competition for a front desk job was this fierce. She found a seat and sat down. Just then, the conference room door flew open, and a disheveled young woman was practically thrown out. She stumbled, nearly fell, then scurried away in humiliation. A man who looked like a secretary emerged, his expression stern. "I hope everyone here understands that we expect you to earn this position based on your actual abilities, not by using cheap tricks!" The waiting candidates exchanged uneasy glances. Maya had to suppress a laugh. The girl next to her leaned over and whispered, "I heard the president is personally conducting the interviews today. That girl probably tried to seduce him." "The president himself is the interviewer?" Maya couldn't believe it. That seemed like an exaggeration. "Yes. Who knows why? I guess the boss’s mind is hard to read. Still, just getting to see the legendary man in person would be worth it, even if I don’t get the job. He's the dream of every woman in Northwood—young, powerful, wealthy, and impossibly handsome. You won't find another man that perfect in this entire state." Suddenly, a clear voice cut through the murmurs. "Next, Maya Hayes!" "That's you!" the girl next to her whispered, giving her an encouraging nudge. Maya offered her a grateful smile, then stood and walked toward the conference room. The moment she pushed the door open and stepped inside, Maya froze. It can't be.

Chapter 3: A tiny, determined army