The man turned around with a frown. “Why are you laughing?” Jennifer was delighted. “What goes around, comes around. What I have suffered, now Mona has to suffer them all.” “You’re wrong, Mother. I’m not like my father.” Jennifer scoffed and smiled bitterly. “Men are all the same. When the temptation is in front of your eyes, can you really resist?” Thaddeus kept quiet, but his deep eyes had a strong hint of determination and firmness. “Of course.” “We’ll see about that. I don’t think Ginny has put all her cards on the table yet.” Then, Thaddeus’ assistant came in with a document and whispered something in his ears. Thaddeus took the document from him and said in a small voice, “Let’s talk outside.” Once the two of them were outside the ward, Thaddeus opened up the document in the corridor while the assistant explained to him about the content. “Sir, I’ve checked on Baxter Ortega and his wife, Kendra. They did have a hospitalization record in the hospital’s gynecolo
The husband and wife must love each other very much. It was probably due to the husband’s unconditional love that the wife would try to escape from the hospital after an operation to have ice cream. “Geez. The operation was a success, and I’m fine. Why can’t I get an ice cream to celebrate?” The woman jokingly punched the man and grumbled, “The doctor said I could have ice cream. Do you know how bitter my mouth is after having to eat all those medicines for days? Now you’re trying to stop me from getting ice cream! How cruel!” The man took a piece of candy from his pocket and said, “Here. I know you don’t like the bitter taste in your mouth, so I got this for you.” The man sighed. Since he always lost an argument with his wife, he had learned to adapt to her ways. “Nope. You can have it. I don’t want it.” The woman glanced at the candy on the man’s palm and refused to take it. The elevator then arrived on the first floor and opened up. The man invited Mona to have desse
Ginny removed her innocent disguise and surprised Mona with her strong ambitions. “Mona, I need some help!” Someone called Mona from behind. Mona turned to see Joan, who had disappeared for days, coming down from her lavishing car. There was even a handsome young man in her passenger seat. Joan pointed at her trunk full of presents and smiled brightly at her. “I went to Malaysia for a couple of days and bought tons of presents from their duty-free shops. Come and help me with the presents.” When Joan opened the rear door, the trunk, bags, and boxes started falling out. Mona was stunned. Joan had bought a whole car full of presents and souvenirs. It was as if she bought out the entire tax-free shop. It was unbelievable! Joan found the young man a nuisance, so she dragged him out of the car and told him to leave. The young man looked sad. He tossed a flying kiss to Joan and winked at her. “See you next time, darling.” Mona had goosebumps all over her body when she s
After they went into the house, Mona told Joan everything in a steady stream of words. Joan was furious when she learned the truth. She jumped to her feet to exclaim, “What three wishes is she going on about? That woman is evil! She’s moving into the house with you now, so does it mean she’s sleeping on the same bed with your husband next?” Joan poked Mona’s forehead and added, “Don’t be so dumb. You cannot let others take advantage of you like that.” Mona felt helpless as well. “Joan, Thaddeus’ career is involved, and Ginny Kimball isn’t as simple as she looks. If we don’t fulfill her request, she will escalate the matter and ruin Thaddeus’ reputation. Then, his competitors will get a chance to overtake him.” Joan went silent after she heard Mona’s explanation. After considering the ups and downs of the situation, she felt sorry for Mona and whatever she had to go through. Mona was an understanding girl and the Fontaines were fortunate to have her as a daughter-in-law. “Yo
Ginny narrowed her eyes and observed Joan’s reaction. Her lips curled into a wicked grin. Joan’s eyes were flickering and she only calmed down when she looked at Mona. “The child that she mentioned…it might be my child.” Mona was shocked. “Your child?” Joan pleaded, “Mona, can you ask Sebastian to get the key to that building? Come with me. I want to go have a look.” Mona nodded. “Okay. I’ll go ask for the key.” She knew about the building in the backyard, but it was closed most of the time and the servants did not need to clean up the place. Now that Ginny said it was haunted, Mona suddenly felt the chills. When Mona asked Sebastian for the key, the man’s expression seemed strange. He stammered as he tried to dissuade Mona from going there. Mona wanted to know more, but the building seemed to be a taboo among the servants, so everyone she asked either told her to be careful or not go there at all. The more they dissuaded her, the more curious she got. She had to find o
The tablet had a name engraved on it: Sunny. There was a date beside the name but that was it. Mona counted and realized that the date was around six years ago. Ginny said the house was haunted and that someone had done a ceremony to trap the soul there. Seeing the memorial tablet, the news seemed to be verified. Was the child somehow related to Joan? Was the child Joan’s? Mona saw Joan stare at the memorial tablet blankly. Joan was in shock and disbelief. Then, she grabbed the box that held the ashes of the deceased and held it in her arms as if she was carrying a baby. She held it tightly and started to sing a lullaby to it. “Joan, is Sunny your child?” “Shhh!” Joan looked like she was in a trance. She put her finger at her lips and silenced Mona. “It’s been a long time since I saw Sunny. She’s sleeping. Don’t wake her. Sunny is a scaredy cat.” Mona was speechless. Suddenly, the sky turned dark. She looked outside the window and realized dark clouds shrouded the
Less than five minutes later, Joan came out with an old, broken doll in her hands. “Joan, where did you go?” Mona came down from Thaddeus’ arms and went over to the woman. Joan's face was streaked with dried tear marks as if she had just cried. “I feel like my child is still inside, like she’s still alive. I went upstairs and found her favorite doll.” Joan was deeply shaken, and her concentration drifted. Then, she suddenly realized the problem. “Why are my child’s things in there? Why are they here at your house?” “This isn’t your child, Joan,” Thaddeus said coldly. “I heard from my mother that the things in this house belonged to a child of one of the servants. The servant helped our family a lot and even saved my father’s life once, so my father allowed the servant and his family to live here.” Joan shook her head. “No. No! That memorial tablet has my child’s name on it! And this doll…I bought this for Sunny when she was young. How…” She refused to believe it or accept i
On the way back, Mona and Joan still could not calm down. “Mona, tell me, did you really see a girl back there?” “Joan, I’m still very confused. It happened too fast and it was just a flash. I don’t know if I was hallucinating or if I did see a girl.” “But the memorial tablet has Sunny’s name on it.” “Joan, let’s just leave it aside first. Thaddeus is going inside to find out the truth. Maybe there’s something we didn’t understand in there. Let’s just wait for him to come back. Are you frightened as well? Let’s go back into the mansion.” Mona and Joan walked back to the mansion. Then, a tiny figure ran towards Mona and jumped into her embrace. “Mommy! Mommy! I’m scared!” Millie hugged Mona’s leg and nuzzled against her thigh like a puppy. Mona carried the girl up and kissed her puffy cheeks. “Baby, what are you afraid of? Mommy is here. You don’t need to be afraid.” The woman, who had trembled in fear in the abandoned house, transformed into an invincible mother befor
The couple was tired after a time of bonding, and they lay on the wicker chair, closing their eyes before slipping into dreamland. Sometime later, Thaddeus felt a chill and opened his eyes. His T-shirt was wet, and Bobby and Millie were spraying water at him with water guns. The youngest child was nearby too in her stroller. She suckled on a pacifier and watched the bustle. “Where’s your mommy?” Thaddeus shuffled his hair and looked around, searching for Mona. “Freeze, Daddy. We have held Mommy captive. Surrender yourself to us.” Acting like the boss, Millie pointed her massive water gun at her daddy. Thaddeus had indulged his eldest daughter so much that the girl would only have things her way. Nevertheless, Thaddeus played along since it was only a game. He knew his children well. Millie took after Mona and was shrewd. Still, Millie would be on her best behavior when in public. “Hurry up and surrender, Daddy. Put your hands up, and we will release Mommy.” Millie poked
It was a cooling breeze for the Summer as flowers bloomed in the garden of Fontaine Residence. Mona rested on a wicker chair under the wine arbor, holding in hand the latest issue of the weekly design magazine, with her face on the cover. In the photo, she held a trophy up on the stage of a design competition, standing out amidst the radiant background. Since the birth of her youngest, Mona took a month off for rest before picking up her passion again and returning to the world of design. Recently, she won first place in an international design competition and found fame. Mona was happy with her life and enjoyed the rich and peaceful state of things. She had time to herself for once during the weekend, so she found a quiet spot to enjoy time alone while the kids had a nap. The sunlight shone over Mona through the leaves, basking her in warmth. She let out a yawn and closed her eyes for a nap. Thaddeus walked out of the house and saw the woman enjoying the moment of bliss. The t
“Mommy, did the baby kick you today?” Millie wobbled her way over and placed her hand on Mona’s belly. She could feel the baby stirring inside her mommy’s stomach. Millie was pleasantly surprised. “The baby kicked me! Mommy, is the baby swimming inside your belly?” “Yeah. The baby is kicking.” Mona affectionately caressed her belly. The fetus had been kicking and rolling a lot more lately, so she could not get much sleep. The tall and strong man drew near and looked tenderly at Mona. His husky voice lingered in Mona’s ear. “Weren’t you craving strawberries? I placed an order, and the fruit is being airlifted here as we speak. It’ll arrive tonight.” “Yay.” Mona was gleeful. Since the beginning of her pregnancy, she had become quite fussy and craved the strangest food. She wanted caviar from Japan, cookies from France, and strawberries from the highlands. Anything she asked for would be transported fresh to the house the next day.The man had taken good care of her during her en
“No. I won’t let myself go.” The man huffed heavily after finishing his sit-ups. Then, he rolled out of bed and got changed in the walk-in closet. Mona stared at the man’s well-toned back, gasping at his body upkeep. People would probably have a hard time believing he was a father of three. With that in mind, Mona became aware of a potential threat. She got up and drew close to the man. “You’re responsible for taking care of the baby once the child is born.” Thaddeus straightened his tie. “Alright. I can do that. I want to be present in the baby’s life and your pregnancy. You should rest at home once your belly gets bigger. I’ll handle Bobby and Millie’s school run, okay?” The man pinched Mona’s face dotingly. “Now you’re talking. Are you heading out?” Mona got up on her tiptoes to brush off the dust from his shoulders. “Yeah. I need to sort out a lot of paperwork.” “I wrote down notes of the meeting I attended on your behalf a few days ago.” Mona walked out to retrieve a
Thaddeus was in the hospital for a week before he was discharged. The election day for the successor of the Fontaine Group was two weeks later, but Thaddeus had not made a full recovery in his legs. He remained in a wheelchair and persisted in his daily physiotherapy. Mona had a room freed up in Fontaine Residence for Thaddeus’ rehabilitation. A specialized doctor would come around the house every day to help Thaddeus with his recovery. Thaddeus was a strong man to fight through the pain in his physiotherapy sessions. That day, Mona watched as the workers hung a decorative painting on the wall in the hallway. She ordered paintings of her preference and had them shipped from abroad. Mona instructed the workers to put it up, not paying attention to the wobbly painting that had been hung behind her. The painting was about to hit her from the back. Thaddeus was exiting the rehabilitation room when he caught sight of the danger. Getting up from his wheelchair, Thaddeus took large stri
The few pictures of Mona and Victor at the height of a tussle gave the impression that they were having an intimate moment. Thaddeus went through the photos with a look of disdain. “So you stood there and pretended to take pictures of me to show me these? You set my wife up with another man to tell me she was cheating on me?” It was not hard to guess the game the paparazzi were playing, but who was he trying to fool? The man was dumbstruck, as it never occurred to him that Thaddeus could see through him. It had taken the three of them to come up with the idea. However, it had not taken much for Thaddeus to foil their plan. Mona let out a relieved smile. She thought that Thaddeus would be furious at the look of the pictures and had prepared herself to give a long explanation. She was surprised that Thaddeus quickly saw through the attempt to drive them apart. Their relationship was solid, and no one could come between them. Mona thought to herself with glee when she took
Mona stood in front of Thaddeus, blocking his face as she confronted the paparazzi who took their picture. “Hand over the camera!” “There’s nothing in the camera. Besides, it’s my personal property. Why should I give it to you?” “You clearly took a picture of my husband. You have some nerve to say there’s nothing.” Mona grabbed the man by the wrist and lifted her foot to kick. Thaddeus grabbed her wrist to stop her. “You’re pregnant. Think about the child.” Thaddeus pulled Mona back, leaving himself exposed to the paparazzi. “Why do you want to photograph me? Do you want to see me in a wheelchair? Take a picture then.” Thaddeus pulled a straight face. His nonchalant gaze spoke of intimidation. Dumbstruck, the paparazzi looked at Thaddeus’ legs and smiled dryly. “What happened to your legs, Mr. Fontaine?” Thaddeus did not answer. However, his dark eyes flicked chillingly as he looked murderously at the paparazzi. Even in a wheelchair, Thaddeus did not have to say anythi
With the help of the two caretakers, Thaddeus sat in the wheelchair. He had overcome his emotions and pulled himself together. His mind was clear as he sorted out what he should do next. Thaddeus called the assistant into the room and laid out the following plan. “I won’t attend any media interviews before the election, but I won’t disappear from the public eye either. I don’t want to give the press something to talk about. My wife will represent me. Going forward, whatever she says or does will be considered my own. She has the authority to attend all corporate conferences, big or small.” Mona dropped her jaw in shock. She was to attend company meetings and speak on his behalf. It was trying to make the impossible happen. On second thought, Thaddeus must have his reasons to do so. She had the confidence to do a good job anyway. The assistant took note of everything Thaddeus said. The Fontaine Group was about to choose its next leader, and with Thaddeus still in recovery, the
“It’s okay. That’s normal after surgery. The doctor gave me a heads-up. Since it’s a brain operation, you might have damage to the motor nerve. With the help of physiotherapy, you’ll be back to running in no time.” Mona consoled Thaddeus. Thaddeus lifted his hands and gave Mona a gentle push. “Leave.” Mona froze. She looked at the man who was fine a second ago, not knowing what to do. “Can you leave? I need some time alone,” Fixing his gaze on Mona, Thaddeus spoke callously. “Okay. I’ll be right outside if you need me.” It dawned on Mona why the man was persistent in driving her away. He did not want her to see him at his worst. In a way, he was trying to protect his pride and dignity as a man. However, they were a married couple. Mona would never turn her back on him. Mona could understand the man’s vulnerability and his feelings at the moment. Hence, she said nothing and quietly left the ward to give Thaddeus the time and space to sort his emotions. Instead of doing n