Pepper Potts had gotten used to juggling boardrooms and babies—just never at the same time. Her twins, Liam and Lucy, were only six months old, and already they seemed to sense the chaos around their mother. Crying whenever strangers approached, restless when Pepper was forced to put business before bedtime. Still, she loved them fiercely. They were her anchor, even if they were also her biggest complication.

This morning was supposed to be different. An important conference with several major players in the technology sector—men who eyed Pepper both as competition and opportunity. Among them was Noah Betzler. The genius boy-turned-billionaire who built his empire from the ground up, a rival to Stark Industries, and lately, one of Pepper’s most persistent headaches. For months he had pressed her to consider a merger or partnership. For months she had refused.

And now, thanks to Eric’s refusal to take the twins, she was walking into the glass-walled conference room with Liam balanced on one arm and Lucy on the other. Their small cries echoed awkwardly against the sleek walls. Pepper cleared her throat, introducing herself, trying to ignore the raised eyebrows and impatient looks.

The men sat still. Not one offered a hand. Not one tried to help.

The twins’ cries grew sharper, their little faces scrunched with distress. Pepper’s stomach sank—her children were all anyone could hear. She was ready to gather her things and leave when a chair scraped back.

Noah Betzler.

Without a word, he moved to Pepper’s side, holding out his arms. For a moment, Pepper hesitated. Then, surprisingly, both Liam and Lucy reached for him as if instinctively. Noah gathered them carefully, rocking them with a steady rhythm, murmuring something low and soothing only the babies could hear. Within moments, the cries softened into hiccups, then silence. The twins rested against him, comforted.

“Go on,” Noah said simply, his voice calm, his eyes meeting Pepper’s.

And she did. She finished her presentation with both confidence and relief, though her gaze kept flicking back to Noah, who held her children as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

When the meeting ended and the other men filed out, Pepper crossed the room, her heels clicking softly. She reached for Liam and Lucy, who reluctantly let go of Noah’s shirt.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, her voice more vulnerable than she intended.

Noah gave a small smile, brushing a wrinkle from Liam’s blanket before handing him over. “Don’t mention it. They just needed someone patient.”

Pepper studied him, torn between irritation and a flicker of something else—something she didn’t want to name. After all, Noah Betzler was her rival. But as she watched her children glance back at him, eyes wide and calm, she wondered if maybe—just maybe—he was something more complicated than that.