Two months later Still half asleep, Edselyn felt the urge to pee and got out of bed. She slipped her feet into her slippers and crossed the room to the bathroom. Although she could hear the shower running, her sleep-addled brain didn't register it. She walked over to the toilet, lifted the lid, and did her business.While she was washing her hands in the sink, the shower stall door opened, and someone stepped out. She rubbed her eyes to see better and froze when her gaze locked with the startled blue eyes of her gloriously nude husband. It was as if time stood still for both of them as they stared at each other, motionless, for a few seconds. Then, suddenly, a switch flipped in Ed's head, and her hand flew up to cover her eyes."Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed.Sinjin grabbed his towel and quickly tied it around his waist, his cheeks coloring with embarrassment. He hadn't realized she was in the bathroom with him because of the frosted glass of the shower stall."It's fine.
Before noon that day, Eds' chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip muffins, red velvet cupcakes, coffee cakes, cheesecakes, apple pies, chocolate-covered donuts, jam donuts, croissants, shortbreads, a one-layered rainbow cake, and plenty of coffee had all been sold. She had a steady stream of customers coming in and out of her shop all day, so she didn't even bother with lunch. Sinjin had set up an easy-to-understand bookkeeping system for her. After the rush hour, she settled down in front of the computer in the staff lounge to check the sales because she couldn't help herself. When she saw how much they'd made that morning, she let out a loud gasp."It can't be," she muttered, staring at the computer screen. Sinjin had installed his company's bookkeeping software on the computers both upstairs and downstairs, so all she needed to do was input the transactions she had made today, and the software would do the rest. To her, it was a supercomputer that calculated taxes, expenses, inco
Emma hoped she had misheard what Sinjin had just said. Was he already married? She didn't want to believe him, but he looked very serious, and her brother wasn't one to bluff."You're kidding," she muttered, choosing to call his bluff. "You didn't marry her."Sinjin lifted his hand to show her his wedding band. Then he retrieved his phone from his pocket, turned it on, and showed her a photo of Eds in a wedding dress, which he had saved as his screensaver."Married her a week before Christmas," he informed her. "In Vegas.""You... That was... That was two months ago," Emma sputtered in shock. "You've been married for that long and you didn't think to inform us?""Just think of it as a punishment for the stunt Mom pulled at the wedding," Sinjin replied, shrugging nonchalantly. "Edselyn wanted Mom and Dad present at our wedding, which was why I agreed to wed in the church, but that didn't work out, so we eloped.""Mom will have a heart attack once she hears this," Emma warned him. "Do y
"Mom, Dad," Tristan called from his spot on the wingback chair in the family room, where they were watching an animated film just after dinner."Yes, son?" Sinjin turned his gaze away from the TV to look at Tristan. Eds had her legs on his lap and her head on a throw pillow, facing Tristan."Troy and I have talked about this, but we want answers from you," Tristan said."Is it something serious?" Eds inquired."Yes, Mom," Troy replied, nodding."What is it?" Sinjin asked."You and Mom are married now, and she has your surname. So what about us?" Tristan questioned, frowning. "Don't you want us to bear your name?"Sinjin and Eds exchanged silent glances, both wondering how they would explain the situation to the boys. It would be hard for them to accept that they would never bear his name unless Kyle gave up his rights over them. Although Sinjin enjoyed tackling problems that others found stressful, he wasn’t sure he could resolve this issue involving Eds' ex-fiancé. Sometimes, there
During dinner, Edselyn was unusually quiet, which Sinjin noticed. He wondered what was bothering her but didn't ask because of the boys. After dinner, he went to his home office to take an important call and didn't return until the boys had gone to bed. Before heading to his bedroom, he checked on them.He couldn't find Edselyn anywhere in the room, so he hurried to the balcony and saw her sitting on the beach without a blanket. He sighed, walked back into the room to grab a blanket, and then left to join her.When he came downstairs, Mrs. Bale asked, "Do you need anything else, sir?""No, thank you, Mrs. Bale," Sinjin replied with a smile."Okay, goodnight, sir," Mrs. Bale said, turning to leave."Actually... I need something," Sinjin blurted out. "A cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows, please.""Of course, sir." Mrs. Bale smiled and walked away.A few minutes later, Eds looked up as a hand extended a cup of hot chocolate to her. She accepted it, smiling at Sinjin. "Thank you." Sh
A week after Valentine's Day, after much contemplation on how to deal with Kyle, Sinjin decided to pay him a visit. He didn't inform Eds of his plan, knowing she would talk him out of it, but he hoped it wouldn't backfire. Sinjin trusted that Kyle was as greedy as his former employer had claimed, which would make everything easier for him.All he wanted was to see the bright smile light up his wife's face once again. She was good at pretending she was fine, but he knew she was worried about their sons, who were just as unhappy as she was. He had tried his best to cheer them up by buying drones, which they loved, but that happiness had lasted only for a short time.Sinjin owned many residential properties in Merendra, and by a twist of fate, Kyle happened to be a tenant in his ten-story apartment building on Greenbriar Avenue. The building, known as The Grandview, had originally been a failing hotel. The owner had approached Sinjin with the intent to sell, and Sinjin had bought it for
Kyle's head snapped up from the check to Sinjin's face upon hearing that. He studied Sinjin's face, looking for signs of a prank, but the stoic expression showed that he was dead serious. To keep this amount of money—money he would never earn in twenty lifetimes—he had to relinquish his rights over his children, over Edselyn. He was sorely tempted, but after what Sinjin had said, he knew he had to refuse."I should do that for one and a half billion dollars?" Kyle asked."Is it too small?" Sinjin inquired, arching a surprised brow. "1.25 billion, then.""Would you do that for money?" Kyle asked him. "Let go of your children and let them be raised by another man?""First of all, I wouldn't find myself in that situation at all," Sinjin replied confidently. "And even if I was dirt poor, I still wouldn't do it.""So, you want me to do it," Kyle muttered, chuckling humorlessly."I'm doing what's best for my sons," Sinjin said."Your sons?" Kyle scoffed in disbelief. "They're mine!""By blo
A week laterKyle leaned against his car, waiting for the school bell to ring, when a silver Mercedes Maybach S-Class with tinted windows pulled up next to him. He silently admired the car, wondering who its owner was. His question was soon answered as Sinjin gracefully exited the vehicle, dressed in a navy blue suit and a black shirt without a tie.Sinjin turned his head, surprised to see Kyle. He removed his sunglasses, hoping he was imagining Kyle's presence, but it was indeed Kyle in the flesh. Sinjin had been keeping tabs on Kyle since last week and knew that Kyle had recently started working at Helix Global, a rival of Sinjin's tech company. This was the first time Sinjin had encountered Kyle at the school since Eds informed him that Kyle had been spying on the boys. Sinjin hoped his interaction with the boys would signal to Kyle that his children did not want him around."What are you doing here?" Sinjin demanded as he approached Kyle."I should ask you the same thing," Kyle r