While Sebastian and Samantha were busy, John decided to show Clara the newest addition to their family. Scottish Terrier puppies, he got two of them because he didn’t want them to be lonely. John said he got them for his wife because she was getting lonely. The kids were all grown up, and the house was getting too quiet. But it seemed like he was equally attached to the balls of fur as well.
‘Oh my gosh, these babies are so cute and fluffy,’ she gushed as she carried both puppies between her arms. ‘I just want to squish you and take you home.’
‘They’re just 3 months old, and they know how to do a few tricks already, let me show you,’ and right there, his serious demeanor took on another persona. His features looked more gentle as he instructed the dogs to sit, sleep, stay, bark on command, wave, high five, kiss, and go into their crates, which she thought was
Friday It had been a long week. One Clara did not imagine she was going to have. It was supposed to be an installation of the new security system for Navio, but now, she had also gained a sister. Who would have thought that revealing the truth by accident would be a good thing? She was still on pins and needles when it came to her parents, but she promised herself to take it one day at a time. No use worrying about it when it hasn’t even happened yet. Celine was going to call her and let her know what her parent’s schedule looked like so she could let Sebastian’s mom know in advance when they could have brunch at their house. But today, it was going to be goodbye for now. The past few days, having lunch with Nathan, her father, was just as she always imagined it would be like if they were together. Having d
Friday night It was their last night in San Diego, and tomorrow, Sebastian was giving them a ride on his private jet. It felt delightful and scary to date a very important person like Sebastian, but for now, she will relish the fact that she was in love and she was happy. But fear and doubt were creeping in slowly. The situation felt too ideal, too perfect, and she felt like she was just waiting for the ball to drop. This happy feeling never lasts long. Sooner or later, something will happen, something to make her unhappy. She feared she might not measure up to other people’s expectations of being his girlfriend, even though they both knew that she was more than enough. Bearing the credentials of being the CEO of her own company should have allayed her fears, but there were still doubts that lingered in her mind. She couldn’t pinpoint where these seeds of dou
Clara started opening up to Jeremy about her fears. He would usually let her talk and then give his opinion, but this situation seemed like she just needed to dump her unfounded fears onto him. For a loud, opinionated, over-confident, feisty petite woman, there were a lot of things that scared her. Doubts and insecurities always wormed their way into her active mind. Growing up in an orphanage will do that to you. That feeling of being left behind just never leaves you. The weight on her shoulders was just too much for her to bear, but she had not cried this time, which was good because it meant Clara had solutions to her problems and did not feel very helpless about the situation. Voicing them out helped her realize that she was in control. Sebastian, her parents, these were people she could talk to and voice her concerns. Jeremy had slowly turned off the li
Two weeks after the successful installation, Sebastian and Clara were finally free to pursue their relationship out in public. Most of her staff knew they were in a relationship already, so nobody batted an eye when Sebastian strolled around their building like he owned the place. This was the weekend she would finally let her parents know the daughter they lost 20 years ago was alive. A couple of months ago, Clara recovered her childhood memories when she met Celine. And through a paternity test, identified that she really was the missing daughter of the Jacobs family. Samantha Colfer, Sebastian's mom, looked at the garden and thought she had outdone herself this time. It was a small party, but she still wanted to make it festive. The announcement will definitely shock her guests. But before everything else, she wanted them to feel relaxed and at ease. When
‘I’m not sure,’ Clara said, moisture gathering in her eyes. ‘She called out my old name… Why don’t you go ahead and see what happened? I’ll be outside the bathroom, listening.’ It was not the way Clara planned this revelation. She wanted to do it slowly, but she did not count on her mom recognizing her, and this brought tears to her eyes. Her mom knew who she was. She stood outside the bathroom door, sniffling as she listened in on their conversation. Sebastian had his arms around her. ‘Mom, are you okay? What happened?’ Celine asked as she left the door ajar, so Clara could hear. Emelia was inconsolable, ‘Carmen... oh Carmen, it’s my baby... oh Carmen, I know it’s her. Tell me it’s my baby.’ ‘Shh… Honey, it’s going to be okay,’ Nathan said as he rubbed his wife’s ba
Clara introduced Sebastian to her parents, told them they were together and her dad’s protective instinct kicked in. ‘Young man, I hope your intentions for my daughter are honorable. We should have lunch one of these days,’ he said. She smiled when Sebastian nodded and kissed her cheek, and her dad frowned. It was how she imagined it was like to have a dad. It made her feel warm and fuzzy inside that he was meddling with her relationship already. But she probably won’t appreciate it later when he tries to step in between them. Next, she introduced her brothers Jeremy and Max, and she saw her dad’s eyes narrow when Max said hi. ‘Uh oh,’ she thought, ‘my dad does not like Max either?’ They thanked John and Samantha for graciousl
Boss and Spike have been together since they were kids. Living in the unsavory parts of the city, where kids get born to teenage, drug-addled parents out of wedlock. They usually get taken away by social services to get stuck in a system that doesn’t care about them. If they do survive, then they fall back to where their parents originated from, continuing the never-ending cycle of drugs and violence. They start out as drug runners, lookouts for unsavory characters, and sources of information for their kind. They do not know any other way of life other than being a thug and a criminal. But that one million dollar windfall 20 years ago was the break they needed to start their business. They built a casino as a front for their drug business, and until recently, they had been successful. Their sources got busted by the cops. Millions of dollars went down the drain when their items were confiscated. All becau
On one side of the rooftop garden, Clara had wound herself into a ball, hiding under one of the tables, in between the chairs. She was invisible to anybody who was not aware of her presence. Sebastian was currently in a meeting, and she had come out to the roof because she needed to think. Figure out how she would broach the subject of the kidnapping to her parents. The clues she needed could only come from them, but every time they would meet, her mom teared up, and she did not have the heart to remind her of the past. She planned to ask her dad to come up to the roof so nobody would overhear them. They would see anybody who came up the stairs or the elevator. She was not worried about the recording since she had nothing to hide from Sebastian, anyway. But when she was about to call her father, she heard v
-=- Downstairs, the hotel staff had cleared the entire outdoor area to accommodate the most important event happening today. They place an arch covered in vines and calla lilies on the outer edge, overlooking the beach and the sea. Sebastian tried to do everything not to let the cat out of the bag. This event was going to be a surprise. And even though deep in his heart he knew her answer, that she wanted to marry him, he still couldn’t help but feel apprehensive about her reaction. Clara was not a simple person. She was very complex in her reactions and outbursts. He prayed to all the gods in heaven to help them today. There was no denying that as soon as Clara steps in front of the doors that led to the patio, she would know what he had planned for her because waiting at the door was her father, Nathan Jacobs.
Max, Jeremy, and apparently her sister, Celine, were inside waiting for them, waving their hands and screaming simultaneously. Sebastian walked them back into the hallway to keep her state of undress from prying eyes. The couple laughed at their predicament as she unwrapped her legs around him. Clara gave him one last lingering kiss, and when they were ready, headed back into the room. ‘Why are you guys inside our suite? Who let you in?’ ‘We got in last night, and you said you wanted to rehearse and set up the equipment before the presentation, so here we are,’ Max said with jazz hands waving in the air. She just rolled her eyes. ‘You guys are too early. I still need a nap. Can you leave?’ she plopped down on the sofa and snuggled with a pillow. The
I was sitting in my living room writing up Max’s story when this alternate ending came to me and got me excited. The following chapters were going to be part of his book, but I decided you need to be rewarded for reading all the way to the end of Clara’s story. I hope you enjoy this alternate ending. -=- ‘Clara! The plane is leaving in two hours, and there is a major accident in the 405. If we do not make it in time, you will not make your appointment.’ Sebastian yells as he walks to their bedroom. Their meeting at 2 pm is irrevocable, and nothing should impede them from keeping it. This will be the most important appointment of their lives. Clara rolls her eyes. ‘We have two hours, relax. Even in this traffic, we have enough time to make it. Your driver knows all the shortcuts. Plus, Jeremy and
Ariana was found tied up and gagged in one of the hotel’s janitor closets, one that was not normally checked until the morning. Because she was resilient and determined to alert anybody to Clara’s disappearance, she made enough ruckus for one of the hotel guests to notice and call for help. Clara felt relieved to have found her the next day. Thankfully, she had been released from the hospital with a few scratches and bandages on her head and arm. The bad guys banged her head enough to give her a concussion, so she had to be kept overnight for observation. She twisted her arm from trying to get out of the restraints, and when she continued to throw her body against the door to attract someone’s attention. Ariana was very resilient, and Clara liked that she fought until the end. Now that the threat to Celine and Clara’s life had been eliminated, with the bad gu
-=- This chapter is R18. If you are not over 18, please skip this chapter and proceed to Chapter 124. -=- Clara laughs. Sebastian knew this was a serious situation, but after being rejected earlier, he trod lightly and opted for the easygoing route. ‘I love you, Baz. Thank you for being patient with me.’ Clara looked at him lovingly and caressed his face, kissing his lips lightly as she closed her eyes. The fire was back in her eyes. He hated being the one that took it away from her by making her worry and question everything they were to each other. But now, he would make sure that he would do everything in his power, never to extinguish that again. He would do everything to make her happy.
Boss runs away as Nathan and Clara bend down to tend to Nicholas. But the cops had already surrounded the house by then, and they apprehended him as he tried to run away, just like the other goon that tried to escape earlier. Sebastian, on the other hand, fought off Spike, disarming the gun from him when Boss fired the shot. Spike had no fighting chance, and he knew as soon as Sebastian got his weapon, he was going to jail. With the criminals arrested and Clara’s uncle carted away to the hospital, they were all finally able to settle down and take a seat. Everybody was pretty shaken up, and the women sniffled from time to time as they recounted what happened. They huddled with each other, Emilia Jacobs holding onto her daughters to seek comfort and assurance that the nightmare was over. Sebastian took
The house was eerily quiet when they got home. ‘Mom! Dad! I’m home!’ Clara called out as she came in through the door. That should have been an indication that something was wrong because they had left the front door unlocked. When none of the regular security was present around the property, she just assumed they blended in with the background. But her excitement at getting away from her abductors got the better of her. She did not apply the regular protocols for security. Her mom, dad, and sister sat on the sofa in a neat line, with their hands behind her back, their mouths covered with tape. The gun she felt pointed at the side of her head made everything click into place. The kidnappers had a backup plan, and they were waiting at her parent’s home. They took the whole family hostage as a las
Spike proceeded to tape Clara’s mouth but didn’t expect her to be awake. She bit down hard on his hand, inflicting so much pain that he slapped her across the face, dislodging her blindfold enough so she could see through the bottom. Clara kicks Spike between his thighs, rendering him immobile for a few minutes. Enough time for Clara to bring the hands tied behind her back under her knees. She had to bring them in front of her, making it easier to get out of the zip ties that bound them together. Clara falls flat on her face even before she can get anywhere. Spike had come out of the sensation of having his balls kicked enough to slide his feet and trip her. He holds a knife to her neck, pinning her to the floor. She had no choice but to surrender. She fights him again when he pulls Clara up to tie her agai
Nicholas Jacobs had been watching Clara and Celine as closely as everyone else ever since the kidnappers came back and threatened to take them again. When he saw Clara sneak out into the restroom with nobody following her, he decided to take it upon himself to do it. Clara did not trust him after what he did, but he did not care. It was better to be safe than sorry. Clara could yell at him if that's what she wanted. He deserves it, after all. He pretended to make a phone call, hiding near the men’s restroom doors. When he saw two uniformed hotel staff come out of the women’s restroom with a hotel trolley, the kind used to carry all the sheets and linens from rooms that have been emptied and he grew suspicious. These men didn’t look like the regular hotel staff. They looked more buff and were suspiciously gruff-looking, covered with all those tattoos. So when they left, he checked inside the restroom, and