“I’m sorry boss lady, there is something I think will interest you. Can you come to the pawn office?” Celina said.Celina has been working for Avery for more than a decade.After Erica Clinton died, the Clinton family wanted to sell off her pawn shop, but Avery kept the shop instead, without the knowledge of her father. She left the shop under the care of Celina’s mother, Edna, who was her mother’s most trusted employee.Now that Edna has retired, Celina took over the shop. She has a great eyes for valuable items and won’t hesitate to buy them once she sees one.Avery knew she won’t have called unless it was necessary. She has tried her best to avoid the pawn shop, because it reminds her of her late mother.The only reason she was keeping the store was because her mother inherited it from her grandmother and she loved the store so much.Avery spent most of her childhood in that store and so she got emotional each time she visited. To avoid this, she instructed Celina to stop calling d
At Meghan’s mansion, Peter was fuming, while Elizabeth was crying.The news of Riana’s broken engagement was such a heavy blow to both of them, and Peter couldn’t control his anger anymore. He blames Riana for the terrible misfortunePeter grabbed his phone and shoved it into Elizabeth’s hands. “Call Riana and tell her to come home right away.”“I have called her severally, but she won’t pick my calls.” “Call her again”Elizabeth took the phone, but instead of calling Riana, she called Nora. “Please Nora, what is going on? Why did Abel break his engagement with Riana?”“I am confused too. He promised to continue with the wedding when everything stabilized. I don’t know the reason for his sudden change of mind. Please help me console Riana. I will come and see her later,” Nora speaks through the phone.Elizabeth cried out bitterly.“What’s wrong? Why are you crying in that manner?”“Please help me speak with Riana. She refused to pick my calls. I’m worried, I hope she is alright”“R
“Really? You are sorry? Sorry about what exactly? About disgracing and disrespecting yourself around or about your broken engagement”“Peter, how dare you hit Riana,” Elizabeth scolded.“I will still hit her again if she refuses to answer my questions,” Peter yelled.“What did you do to Mr. Douglas last night? What happened between you two” Peter could not hide his disappointment. His heart was hurting, but he cared not; he only held this chest tightly and held the cabinet for support.Riana’s face dropped; how could Peter talk about Mr. Douglas while she had something more important to deal with? Her broken engagement should be her father’s concern, not Mr. Douglas.“Father, I just got my engagement broken. Shouldn’t you talk about that instead?”Peter was cold, and his emotions were bottomless. he glared at Riana and she trembled.“You know exactly what I can do if you refuse to answer my questions.” Riana was speechless; how could she explain her terrible misfortune to her parents?
“You are still my daughter, Riana, no matter what. I love you and nothing can change that,” Elizabeth sobbed. Riana couldn’t stand the sight of her parents. To her, this was the height of the betrayer. She slaved herself because of them. To save her family, she entered the entertainment industry and used her body to get connections. The same connection that helped Peter in his devious businesses. Riana slept with several men, just to win contracts for Meghan’s group. But in the end, she was abused and rejected by the same family she made a tremendous sacrifice for. With a broken heart, Riana walked into her room and packed up all her belongings. She returned a few seconds later with her boxes and was ready to leave the house. “Take me to your house, Jessica,” Riana said.Jessica was touched. She pulled Riana into her arms.“Is right Riana, everything will be fine. I will take you home now,” Jessica said and took one box from Riana.Elizabeth fell on her knees and grabbed the sui
“I used to visit frequently before you were adopted by Meghan's family. When Meghan’s family came for your adoption. I felt immense joy knowing my child would have an ideal home. After that, I got connected with Elizabeth, and both of us became friends.”Elizabeth was stunned. She remembered vividly how she kept bumping into Nora and how she constantly offered to help her hold Riana. She never knew she was Riana’s biological mother.“Elizabeth requested I become your godmother, and I happily accepted because I love you and want to be near you. All my efforts to bring you close to Abel is to have you beside me in my home. I’m sorry Riana, I wasn’t aware of the challenges you were facing in the Meghan family. Elizabeth treated you with love, and it could be cruel on my part to spoil such a sweet relationship. Given that you will eventually marry my stepson and become part of our family, I allowed Elizabeth to continue to love you as her own daughter. Please give me a chance. We can star
Riana couldn’t sleep the previous night. Peter’s harsh words keep repeating in her mind. She felt hurt and depressed. Thinking about the ugly incident brought tears to her eyes.“Why did he hate me this much? I tried my best to be a dutiful daughter, yet he despised me”Riana wiped out the fresh tears that gathered around her eyes and covered herself up with a quilt. As soon as she fell asleep, Jessica knocked at the door and entered.“Wake up Riana, you have a visitor,” Jessica said.“Leave me alone Jessica, I want to sleep”“Then I will pull you up from the bed” “What is it? Why disturb my sleep”Riana reluctantly opened her eyes. Jessica smiled and sat by her side. “I hope you slept well?”“You know the answer already. I couldn’t sleep. I felt terrible thinking about my life” Jessica pulled her into her arms and stroked her hair.“Everything will be alright. Accept the situation and move on. Forgive your parents, especially Nora. She did what every good mother would have done.
Two weeks later, Jessica banged into Riana’s room and pulled her up from the bed. “What is wrong with you? Why are you disturbing my peace?” Riana frowned and got up from the bed.Since she broke up with Abel, Riana spent her time on the bed and Jessica was tired of seeing her friend depressed, so she came up with an idea.“Your treasure chest is in a safe somewhere, right?. Can we see it, please?” Jessica said.“Well, I’m not in the mood for something like that”“Then you will miss the chance of selling it at a good price. I heard the AE auction house is going to auction off items with great value. I’m sure they will be interested in your treasure chest if you want to sell it.”Riana jumped up from the bed. Her eyes lifted and sparked with excitement. The treasure chest Abel gave to her was indeed valuable, and she was sure the AE auction house would love it. However, she has her doubts.“How did you get to know about this?”Jessica lowered her head. She didn’t tell Riana that she w
“What!” Riana said, her gaze growing darker as she stared at the shopkeeper“How can you call this treasure? It does not hold any value. We don’t buy valueless objects”“How can you call this valueless? Do you know the original owner of this treasure chest? It’s the queen of England, Queen Victoria.” Jessica screamed.The man laughed.“How dare you belittle our dear Queen Victoria? She can’t possibly use this low-quality object. The original Treasure Chest was brought here a few days ago and we are preparing it for the AE auction." “Able Copper bought this chest for me. How can a man of such integrity lie about the value of this treasure?” Riana said.“We know Mr Copper as a man of integrity, but we also know Ms Meghan as a dubious woman. How can you say that this valueless object was given to you by Mr. Copper when your mother already sold the original Treasure Chest to us?” Jones said. He looked at Riana suspiciously.Riana staggered backward and slapped her back on the wall. Her
"Please don't be irrational, Axel. Please sit down. Let's talk about this,” Abel pleaded.“Sign the document first,” Axel said, pointing to the table where a copy of the document lay.“Sign it, or I will blow her off.”Abel hesitated but finally took the pen on the table and signed his name on the document.“The document is signed. Hand my girl over,” Abel demanded.Axel shoved Aerial toward her parents and grabbed the document. His gun still pointed at them, he quickly scanned the paper, confirming Abel’s signature. A sinister smile spread across his face. He could hardly believe it—he finally owned the Coppers Group.Facing them again, Axel picked up a small canister from his side and began pouring out its contents. Then, he pulled a lighter from his pocket.“What do you plan to do?” Avery asked, her voice trembling.“Isn't it obvious?” Axel smirked. “I'm going to burn this place down. No one will ever find out what happened.”“Why would you do that? I’ve signed the document!” Abel
Avery went into her room and brought back the laptop.After Abel logged in, he noticed an email among a pool of other messages. It was a contract agreement concerning the shares of his company.“Sign the contract, and you will see your daughter,” the message read.“What’s in the document? Open it, let’s see,” Currie said, noticing her brother’s troubled expression. Abel opened the document and stared at the contents in shock.Avery pulled the laptop toward herself and read the agreement on the screen.“He wants seventy-five percent of your company’s shares?” she exclaimed.“I will do anything to bring Aerial back. That’s my promise,” Abel said firmly. Only Douglas could stoop to such devious means. He was the only one who knew Abel had children with Avery. Was this his revenge for destroying his incriminating videos and letting Jason deal with him?“You can’t do that!” Currie protested. “Let’s involve the police. There’s no way you should give up your company. You worked too hard to g
"I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that he was your son at the time. After he came to my office a few days ago demanding to see me and calling me his Daddy, I had no choice but to investigate the truth," Abel explained."You went to his office? When was that? How did you even know about him?" Avery asked, her face filled with shock. Turning to Abel, she added, "Were you influencing my kids and turning them against me?""You’ve misunderstood," Abel replied calmly. "I didn’t get to see him that day. He was gone before I could come out of my office. A few days later, I ran into him at his school and tried to learn more about his family, but the boy was so smart—he refused to give me any information. That made me think of the strange woman I had been with at the business meeting years ago. Determined to uncover the truth, I discreetly took a sample of his hair for a DNA test."It was only later, when I saw you pick him up, that I realized you are his mother," he continued, stepping closer to Aver
“I can't leave, I need to look around. She might be somewhere nearby, afraid and waiting for me to come,” Avery said, her voice trembling with tears.“It’s already night, and there’s nothing more we can do right now. Let’s trust the authorities to handle this. Come on, let’s get out of here,” Abel said gently.Just then, Abel’s phone rang. He stepped aside to answer it, returning moments later with a small smile. Without a word, he led Avery back home.---At home, Avery’s son, Aaron, approached hesitantly.“Daddy, will you find Aerial?” Aaron asked softly.“Stop calling him that! He’s not your daddy!” Avery snapped, her voice sharper than she intended.Abel’s lips curved into a faint smile. “I’m sorry, Avery, but don’t you think you’re being too harsh on the boy?” He pulled Aaron into his arms and said, “I promise you with my life, I’ll find Aerial.”“Will you stay with us tonight?” Aaron asked, his small voice filled with hope.“Of course, yes,” Abel replied.“No, you won’t!” Avery
Meanwhile, Currie knelt before Avery, her body shaking as she wept bitterly. The shock of the events had hollowed her out, leaving her an empty shell.“Forgive me, sister Nuu,” Currie sobbed. “I never meant for this to happen. It’s my fault. I should never have brought them here.”“What happened to my daughter, Currie? You’re scaring me!” Avery cried, her voice rising in desperation.Through her tears, Currie tried to explain. “She was playing with the other kids a few feet away while Aaron and I were working on a puzzle. Then suddenly, smoke filled the air. Everything turned chaotic."I grabbed Aaron and ran to look for Aerial, but I couldn’t see anything. The smoke was so thick and black. I pushed forward, calling her name, but the fire broke out before I could reach her."I held onto Aaron tightly, afraid he’d get hurt if I let go. But I was determined to get to Aerial. The crowd shoved me back, everyone panicking and running in different directions."When the fire intensified, I t
Chapter 158“I hope they are mine,” Abel thought to himself. The possibility lifted his mood. For so many years, he had wished to have children of his own, and after what happened between him and Riana, Abel vowed never to marry anyone except Avery—the woman who loved him unconditionally.His mind drifted back to the children. Having a son like Aaron would mean so much to him. And the girl? He smiled.He hadn’t spent much time with the little girl, but her cheerful allure drew him in. She looked so beautiful and adorable, so much like Avery, with leaf-brown hair that resembled his own.Thinking of this, Abel felt a little bubble of hope swelling within him. He prayed earnestly that they would be his.“Are they mine, Avery? Please tell me. I really want to know,” he asked, his eyes searching hers for an answer. Before Avery could utter a word, his phone rang.Abel ignored it, but when the ringing persisted, he quickly switched it off and turned his attention back to Avery. At that same
Chapter 157“Who is the boy’s father, and how did you know the little boy?” Abel asked.“Take a look at this,” Douglas said, shoving his phone into Abel’s hands.Abel stared at the video playing before his eyes, his heart pounding. His legs wobbled, and his hands became clammy.Before the video could end, Abel clenched the phone tightly and strode toward the exit.“Wait! What about the collaboration? And where are you going with my phone?” Douglas shouted, but Abel was already gone.Outside the VIP room, Abel turned to Jason, who was waiting in the corridor.“Keep that old fool in check and make sure he deletes all the videos,” Abel ordered.“Which video?” Jason asked in confusion.“The old fool has a video of Avery and me... making out.”Jason knitted his brows together, his expression shocked.“Don’t spare him. Crush him into pieces and ensure every copy of the video is erased.”“You can count on me,”---At the hospital, Avery had just stepped out of the operating theater and was h
Twenty minutes later, Abel arrived at the Greenville Hotel. As he walked into the restaurant, he spotted Mr. Douglas seated at the far end of the room, near the window. Without hesitation, Abel strode toward the older man and grabbed him by the neck."Mr. Copper, what are you doing?" Douglas gasped, his voice trembling.Abel ignored him and dragged him toward the VIP room upstairs. As soon as they entered, Abel shoved Douglas onto the couch."What was that nonsense you sent me earlier?" Abel demanded.Douglas was speechless. The last time he had tried his luck with Abel, things hadn't ended well. Now, he had another opportunity to make a deal, but he knew he had to resort to devious means to achieve his goal.After Abel caught him with Riana, Douglas had been certain approaching Abel again would be a death sentence. However, when his contact called a few months ago and informed him about Avery's return to Mallory Avenue, Douglas began plotting how to use her to get close to Abel. Then
Currie's heart skipped a beat. How could these children think she was hiding something from them? Last night, when she had asked Avery about the kids’ father, Avery had been hesitant to answer.And now, Aaron and Aerial thought she knew who their father was. Currie thought for a moment, lowered her voice, and said softly,"Do you want my brother to be your daddy?"Her eyes stayed fixed on the kids, searching their expressions.Aerial's eyes lit up, excitement shining in her face."Of course, I want him to be our daddy!" Aerial exclaimed. "He would protect us, right?"Aaron, calmer than his sister, nodded and asked, "Will you help us?"Sometimes, Aerial wondered how her brother managed to stay so composed no matter what.Currie hesitated briefly before offering a compromise."Why don't we go to the park first? We'll talk about this later.""Are you going to buy us ice cream?" Aerial asked eagerly."Of course, I will.""But Mom says it's not good to eat too much sugar.""I haven’t had an