"Anna, where are you?" Austin’s voice was filled with concern. "I have been trying to reach you since morning. You are not answering your phone.""I'm sorry," Anna replied weakly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I was sleeping."Austin's frustration seeped through. "The designs… they aren’t working out. The artisans said they are falling apart. They are hard to execute in reality, and they don’t even look the same as in the sketches. The contest is in two days and we still can’t get it right."Anna snapped out of her daze. She had been so caught up in her personal life, especially her relationship struggles, that she had neglected the real reason she came back to New York. How could she have let this happen? A bitter smile crossed her lips as guilt gnawed at her. Her mother had passed away and yet here she was, chasing after love instead of focusing on her purpose.“I will come to the lab, Austin,” Anna said. She realized the gravity of the situation. None of her designs were comple
The comments on the social media post were like this:@ArisUser2BC: The essence of life according to me is achieving the state of eudaimonia, as Aristotle used the term to express “happiness.” And do you know what gives me eudaimonia? *Evil laughing* Being between my girl’s legs. Kidding, it's food and doing nothing that gives me the greatest pleasure of happiness. I think the government should work to provide citizens with free food so they don’t have to work, and we can all live a work-free and happy life.@GodisDead: The essence of life is power. Maximizing power. Nothing else matters when you are powerful.@Peacefulglobalcitizen2024: Love, compassion, world peace, and striving to achieve these should be the essence of life. What will power and the happiness of a single person do if the world is burning, if genocide is happening all around us, if innocent humans are caught in the crossfire set by governments? The essence of life should be walking past the borders of hate, violence,
Behind the stage, all the contestants were getting ready with their models. When Regina arrived, she greeted Arabella, Abel’s sister, who was modeling for her. “Arabella, you look beautiful in the outfit.”Arabella looked at herself in the mirror and felt good. “Yes, you are very talented, Regina.”Regina replied, “Thank you for coming on such short notice. I know your dates were full—”Arabella waved her hand. “Come on, you are my brother’s friend. I can do this for you. He never requests me for anything. As for other shows, today I had nothing planned, but I will be leaving for L.A. tomorrow evening. I have an important shoot. I should be there by now,but my brother came with a sudden request, and I could not say no.”Regina was shocked. “Abel asked you to help me?”Arabella laughed. “Of course! Aren’t you guys friends?”Regina smiled. Well, in their four-person group, she and Abel were always fighting with each other. He was too pro-Anastasia, and she hated him for his stance. She
“For the last contestant of the evening, please welcome to the stage, Anastasia Spencer!”The auditorium went dark as the sound of heels clicking echoed before the spotlight illuminated a striking figure entering the stage. Anastasia was dressed in an elegant white gown and exuded confidence with her walk. Snake-shaped earrings dangled gracefully from her ears as it caught the light as she made her way to the center of the stage."I would like to call my models to the stage," Anastasia announced with a poised smile as her eyes sweeping the room before lingering briefly on her husband in the audience. With a subtle shift, she returned her attention to the judges and continued, "After the presentation, I will provide a brief explanation of each piece my models are wearing. Dear judges, you have detailed descriptions of the designs in the cards placed before you."The show began.The first model appeared on the ramp, adorned in a white and green dress that perfectly complemented the exqui
"Miss Spencer, you have beautifully portrayed the theme 'The Essence of Life,'" said Edward Wright who was the main judge, his tone filled with admiration. "Would you like to tell us what led you to choose such unconventional models for the show? And how was your experience working on this theme?"Edward Wright was thoroughly impressed by Anastasia's work and couldn't help but praise the overall presentation. It wasn't just the designs but it was the entire execution. The jewelry, the outfits, the models and everything came together seamlessly.Anastasia smiled, graciously accepting his praise. "When I discussed the theme with my spiritual guide, she pushed me to reflect on a deeper level. I realized that basing the entire concept on my personal interpretation would be too limited and might not do the theme justice. So, I turned to social media and asked for people’s perspectives. After all, we are not just creating jewelry for ourselves, but for society as a whole. It needs to resonat
Regina let out a bitter laugh as her eyes gleaming with anger. “You would rather be destroyed than marry me? Am I really that repulsive to you?”Damien sighed deeply, his frustration mingling with guilt. "Regina, you were my first friend. I will always care for you. You have been there for me through everything, and I take our friendship seriously. But marriage... it’s a huge commitment. We were always just friends but our mothers misinterpreted things. We never cleared up those rumors because, frankly, neither of us had time to explore relationships. Then, they took it further and began talking about engagements and planning our futures without even asking us. We should have stopped it earlier. Let’s put an end to this now.”Regina stared at him, feeling utterly betrayed. Friends? That was all they ever were? How could he have been so blind to her feelings all this time, or worse, hosen to ignore them? He was ruthless. He just used her to stay away from relationships while waiting fo
Anastasia’s eyes filled with disbelief and anger. “We broke up because you always chose Regina over me. Every time.”Damien clasped his hands together as if pleading, “That’s not true, Anna. I always loved you. You were my only priority. You were the one I wanted and the one I fought for. Why couldn’t you see that? I came to London, begging you for another chance, and you didn’t even give me that. You shut me out. You broke us.”“I left because I couldn’t keep watching you let her inch closer and closer to you everytime,” she shot back, her voice shaking. “I needed to protect myself, Damien, because you never did.”Anastasia’s voice broke as angry tears streamed down her face. “I was fifteen when I fell in love with you, Damien. I loved you so much. But I was never your priority. It was always Regina. In the beginning, I tolerated her because she came into your life first. You were childhood friends, and I tried to accept that. But I hated her and her mother, not just because my father
Their kiss was full of anger as their emotions raw and untamed at the moment. His hands moved down from her neck to her shoulders while tugging at the fabric of her dress. Frustrated by the restriction of the fabric, he tore it and she was too lost in the moment to care. All she wanted at this moment was to feel him all over his skin. The distance of three days was too much on her soul and she needed to feel him to be closer to him, as close as possible. If possible she wanted to seep inside his skin and flow in his bloodstream. His lips trailed from her chin to her ears and down her neck, leaving a heated path as he nibbled at her skin.Anastasia’s hands scrambled for something to hold onto as she was desperate for support. She needed to hold something or the weight of his kisses would weaken Suddenly, she knocked over a night lamp and sent it crashing to the floor.The sound jolted them both out of their stupor and the sudden reality of the situation hit them like a cold wave. They
A round of applause echoed through the courthouse as Regina and Abel signed the marriage certificates, officially becoming husband and wife. Anastasia and Ronan served as witnesses, while Adeline and Damien stood by, offering their unwavering moral support.After the formalities, the celebratory mood carried the group to the Smith House, where Abel’s parents had arranged an intimate party for family and close friends. Glasses were raised high as everyone toasted. “To Abel and Regina!” Mr. Smith beamed with pride, his voice filled with emotion. “I have never been happier than I am today, seeing my son start this new chapter.”Mrs. Smith leaned into her husband with a playful smile. “Well, except for the day when we got married.”The crowd laughed as they were charmed by the couple’s banter.Damien added. “Honestly, I still can’t wrap my head around it. Abel—married? And about to be a father? It feels like we have stepped into an alternate reality.”Ronan smirked, adding his two cents
say we couldn’t be seen together?”Claire stood before her and said in frustration and exasperation. “I told you not to come here. What part of that didn’t you understand?”Eleanor crossed her arms defiantly. “Why can’t I come? You don’t get to lecture me about this, Claire. You have kept me locked up in that house for months! I came here on my merit.”Claire’s eyes flashed. “If I hadn’t locked you up, you would have been punished far worse. Do you have any idea what you have done? Picking a fight with Anastasia and her friend was reckless!”Eleanor rolled her eyes. “Reckless? I was standing up for myself. They are not untouchable, Claire.”Claire’s voice dropped to a sharp whisper. “You don’t understand the consequences of your actions.”Eleanor’s defiance wavered, but she masked it with a glare. “Maybe you should stop underestimating me.”Claire sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “You don’t get it, do you? It’s not about underestimating you. It’s about protecting you—from your
“Abel and I are going to the courthouse tomorrow to get married. Would you like to be my witness?” Regina asked casually, as though she had just invited Anastasia for coffee. Her tone was like she and Anastasia had been a pair of best sisters all these years. Well, what was she supposed to do with the fact that Anastasia was no longer her half-sister? They shared the same parents. This made them full siblings. She had nothing to fight with this woman, right? Anastasia was annoying but she could do with it. Anastasia’s jaw dropped. “You are getting married? To Abel? And you want me to be your witness? Tell me the truth, were you smoking pot, Regina?”Regina burst out laughing. “Trust me, my life story is smoking pot.” She wiped a tear of amusement from her eye before adding, “Yes, I’m marrying Abel. He is a nice guy. I’m not looking for love. Giving a stable home to our kids before they arrive feels like the responsible thing to do. And if the marriage doesn’t last, that is okay too.
Anastasia stepped out of the banquet hall and found Regina sitting on a bench in the expansive garden of the Callahan mansion. Regina who was usually poised and sophisticated held a paper plate with a large slice of chocolate cake and was eating it with an unabashed delight that seemed out of character.For a moment, Anastasia simply stared at her but her curiosity was piqued by the rare sight.Regina’s gaze lifted and when she noticed Anastasia, she extended the plate with her used plastic fork. “Destiny was right. The birthday cake was awful, but this—” she gestured toward the cake with a satisfied sigh, “This tastes like heaven.”Anastasia raised an eyebrow.Regina grinned and said, “I walked an entire mile in these heels to get this cake from a bakery. The reviews didn’t lie. It’s worth every step.”Anastasia gaped. “You walked a mile? In those heels? Why didn’t you just tell Abel?”Regina shrugged nonchalantly. “I didn’t want to disturb him. He was with his friends. Besides, I ne
Regina replied softly, “I wish I could answer that.”Abel’s expression tightened as he whispered, “Claire isn’t your birth mother?”What on earth did he just see? Wait, she let him see this information? Did it mean, she really trust him with her life? Before he could get happy, she began saying. Regina shook her head. The DNA test had confirmed what she never imagined—Claire was not her birth mother. She didn’t know how to process it.She said, “The doctor told me there was a possibility I was adopted. Since I recently did a DNA test with my dad, I was certain that Harold is my biological father. All my life, Claire told me Harold wasn’t my father when they both knew the truth. Then suddenly, the doctor pointed out that with their blood types, they couldn’t have had a child with AB+. I was racking my brain, trying to figure it all out. Finally, I decided to test my DNA against the rest of my family.”Regina took a deep breath before continuing. “My DNA matched with my father... but, s
After the cake-cutting ceremony, Regina stood far away from the crowd when a little girl approached her with a plate full of cake slices. The girl stopped near her and said, “Hello, this is for you.”Regina looked at the little princess, who had become the apple of everyone’s eye tonight. She crouched down to the girl’s level and said, “Thank you. Did you bring this for me?”Destiny turned around and pointed at Anastasia. “Anna asked me to give cake to everyone who didn’t get any.”Regina asked, “Did you give cake to everyone?”Destiny shook her head. “No, just you.”Regina chuckled. “Thank you.” She took the cake and bit into it. “Oh, it’s delicious.”Destiny made a face and said, “No, it’s not.” Leaning closer, she whispered in Regina’s ear, “My mommy makes cakes with real sugar and cream. This one has fake sugar and cream.”Regina laughed again. The cake was low-fat and low-sugar, but since she rarely had sugar or dairy, she didn’t notice the difference. She said, “I will try a real
“Why is she here?” Anastasia asked, her voice low but sharp as her eyes fixed on Eleanor standing confidently in the hall. The nerve of that woman to show up at her house after trying to hurt her family.Damien leaned in slightly, keeping his tone casual. “She is Chris’s plus one.”Anastasia exhaled, quickly understanding the situation. “Okay. I will be on my best behaviour.”Though she wasn’t one to bow to others’ opinions, Anastasia had been making extra efforts lately. Damien’s family hadn’t fully warmed up to her, and for her husband’s sake, she was resolved to leave them with no reason to criticise. She wasn’t naturally a people-pleaser, but she knew that making peace with his relatives meant comfort for him and that mattered.Damien wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into a side hug. “My wife is always on her best behaviour. It is just other people who know how to get under her skin.”Anastasia smiled faintly, conceding, “You are not wrong.”He chuckled, then flagged down a
The sound of laughter and clinking glasses filled the air as more guests arrived and the mansion came alive with enthusiasm of the guests. Abel walked alongside Regina, his hand resting lightly on her lower back for support. She looked radiant in a sleek black evening gown, her poise and grace masking any signs of her pregnancy. Her heels clicked softly against the marble floor, commanding attention with every step.“If you are not feeling well, we can leave,” Abel said, his tone laced with concern. His eyes lingered on her, searching for any sign of discomfort.“I’m fine, Abel,” Regina reassured him with a faint smile. Despite her visible effort to appear composed, Abel remained unconvinced.“You have been pushing yourself too hard,” he pressed. “I don’t want you getting sick again.”Regina’s gaze softened as she turned to him. She understood his worry as the past month had been challenging. Her health had taken a toll, resulting his mother to insist she stay with them until she rega
Grandmother sighed and said, “They didn’t listen to us when we didn’t want them to get married. They went ahead and did it anyway. Now, when we ask them to marry, they are ignoring us again.”Suddenly, Adeline added while trying to get under someone’s skin, “What about having the ceremony on their wedding anniversary?”Claire and Carolyn shot Adeline sharp looks but Grandmother seemed pleased by the idea. “That sounds like a nice idea,” she said eagerly.Damien and Anastasia exchanged glances before responding, “We will give you an answer soon.”Grandmother nodded, a hopeful smile on her face. “Hopefully, it will be a good answer.”At that moment, there was a bit of commotion in the party and a maid quietly whispered into the old lady’s ear, “Mr. Callahan is here.”The old lady’s eyes sparkled as she turned to see her son entering the room, accompanied by his wife and daughter. He looked just as he had ten years ago. Perhaps even more cheerful now. His presence was as captivating as e