♡ Alfred ♡When Skylar had asked to stay out of her life, I was prepared to do that even if it was going to be a hard task and that was why I had set up a meeting with her through the normal business process. But seeing her pull her car to a stop beside mine was threatening to break every control I had. I had pretended to be on my phone, purposely not looking at her.And it had been even worse when I noticed her half limping after our hectic day on the site. I was completely surprised she had not snapped at me and instead tried to start a conversation. In all, I hadn't expected her to apologize."I figured I made assumptions about you based on rumors I heard," I mean, it's kind of believable. I know how the internet can manipulate you to hate or love someone. But hers didn't feel like just the internet, and I sincerely was having a hard time believing her. But anyway, at least she wasn't passing me death stares."You are still not allowed to call me Amore or Love though," she said, w
♡ Skylar ♡"I guess all you needed was a talk from Samantha," Mom muttered as I walked into the living room. I stopped in front of Dad and bowed slightly and then turned to Mom, doing the same thing."I'm sorry for walking out of dinner," I said slowly, glancing between them."I could have found a more polite way to disagree, and I apologize for it,"Looking back at Dad, I forced a small smile."I know you've done so much already, bringing me in and helping me up to this point, but I'm sorry I can not get married to Jake." "I hope you can accept my decision and sincerely forget about this marriage topic, but if you are so bent on it, Samantha can always not say no."I took in my bottom lip as an awkward silence rented the room. I know I shouldn't have said the last statement but I just can't help it."Did you practice this before you came here?" Mom chuckled, breaking the silence. "Huh?" I looked at her in surprise Did I sound like I had practiced my statement? Maybe I did."Skyla
♡ Skylar ♡"No, not again!"I dragged my feet tiredly into the living room. Arielle and Aurora were seated on the tiled floor, their legs crossed. I peeled off my slippers and fell to the couch, facing the white spotless ceiling with my legs dangling off the couch."What are you both up to again?" I groaned playfully. "Uh, we were just playing a game," Arielle replied. I nodded tiredly, turning to the side so I could watch them."Aurora, it's getting late. You should go to sleep. You have school tomorrow,"She frowned."But tomorrow is Saturday,"My eyes widened. Wow, I didn't know the week had ended so fast yet again.Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she uncrossed her legs, got on her feet, and rushed to me. She squatted beside me."Mommy, did you know that Ari is Mr. Handsome sister?"I nodded."So would he come here tomorrow? He has to teach me how to draw that cat""Can the four of us go to the park after that?" She pouted, clasping her hands in a pleading manner as she gave me he
♡ Skylar ♡My alarm rang for what felt like the fourth time. Echoing through the room and disturbing my peaceful morning. I turned in my bed, pulling away the comforter as I sat upright. I peeled off the sleep mask yawning loudly.The sun had risen, and the sun rays filtered through the blinds right on my face. Squinting my eyes, I crawled out of my bed, slipped into my slippers, and headed into the bathroom. Turning open the faucet, I splashed some water on my face just enough to get the sleep completely out.I had a hard time bringing Catherine home last night, and when I finally got to sleep, it was past midnight. Thankfully, the sleep mask Hannah had bought me was useful today after tucking it away for weeks. Catherine's words rang in my head again."Valerie was gone, I thought I'd finally have him, but he still didn't look my way. Mourning that slut after everything she put him through "I crossed my arms, leaning on the wall.Why was he mourning? Didn't he make that call? Didn'
♡ Skylar ♡The room went silent as everyone turned to her. I mentally palmed my forehead, squeezing my eyes shut. I opened them back, pushed my chair backward, and got on my feet."Hey Catherine,"She ignored me, her eyes not leaving Alfred, who was looking down at his phone instead."You didn't tell me you were this close with him," she started, turning to look at me."I didn't know business partners had breakfast with each other on weekends," she added, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Alfred looked up immediately, his expression hardening. "We are friends. Do you have a problem with that?"God no, Alfred. Don't make this worse."I guess not," Catherine scoffed.She looked back at me, her lips drawn into a tight smile, her way to mask her annoyance. "I should get going,"I took a step forward. "Wait, I made chicken soup. You should eat before you leave."She shook her head, gripping her bag tighter. "No, thank you," I shook my head and headed to the cabinet to grab a Tupperwar
♡ Alfred ♡"Here," Skylar stretched out a glass of orange juice to me. I smiled, taking it from her. If anyone ever told me she'd be this nice and casual to me, then I wouldn't have ever believed them. Actually, it was fun, and every doubt I was having concerning her sudden behavior change was gradually washing away. This Saturday had to be the best in the last five years since I'd lost myself.I watched as she carefully set her glass on the table and sat on the tiled floor beside Aurora who was flipping through her sketchbook, showing her her different drawings."That's so cute sweetheart," Skylar said, a genuine smile playing on her lips as she playfully ruffled her hair. I smiled, watching the way her lips moved repeatedly and how she burst out laughing at intervals when Aurora did something cute. How could she look so cute and hot just by being a mother? Whoever Aurora's father was must really be a coward to leave her because now she was doing so well on her own."Alfred!"I blink
♡ Skylar ♡I picked up my half drink, taking a long gulp before I dropped the empty cup on the table."How long has he been here?" Ethan asked as he settled on the couch beside me."Who?"He scowled. "Alfred, who else was just here?""Few hours," I muttered. "Since when?""Breakfast, why?"I took in my lower lip, brushing back the hair that was falling in front of my face."Is he harassing you?"He snapped. I turned to him immediately, my eyes widening. "What?! No! Why would you say that?"He shrugged. "He came to your house unannounced and he just left this late, what was I supposed to think?"I shook my head, standing up from the couch. Why would he think Alfred was harassing me? Ethan could be overprotective sometimes but not to this extent. Was there something between the both of them I didn't know about? I guess not. Alfred didn't even know who he was until today.I grabbed my laptop from the other couch and returned to my seat beside Ethan."Alfred is my friend so I want you
The Next Day...♡ Alfred ♡"Is she not going to be here again?""It's almost five, and she agreed to be here by four! That was an hour ago!" I snapped.Xander looked up from his phone."Dude, calm down."I slammed my fists on the table, earning a glance from the people around us, but I cared less.I was losing my mind, thinking of all possibilities. Xander had to make it worse and refused to say anything. I was losing it. If she was still alive, what was I going to do? My mind went to Skylar. Gosh. I'm so conflicted right now.No. It's been five years and I already got rid of every feeling for Valerie but the memories of the moment we had were there and spending time with Skylar was so confusing at times because she reminded me of the times I spent with Valerie. They had the same eyes, similar remarks, and all that. "Hi.""I'm sorry I'm late."I looked up immediately to see a lady taking the empty seat opposite Xander and me. That face. Nothing changed, except for the eyes. Valerie
A week later **♡ Skylar ♡"With all the evidence presented in court today, I hereby confirm Ethan Jun and Elias Jun guilty as charged and hence sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labor"The judge hit the gavel on the table and got on his feet."Court arise."We all got on our feet, and I watched in relief as the policemen whisked them away. I didn't feel bad for Ethan at all. He didn't show remorse when he tried to kill me, so why should I? It felt great to finally get justice for all they did to me. Not just for me and my mom but for every other person whose life has been ruined by them. Mom turned to me as she pulled me for a tight hug."I'm proud of you, Skylar,""I'm glad you never gave up, not even once," she added. As she pulled away, she held both my hands, a smile on her face."Now, forget all that happened in the past and live your life the way you should have. Don't hold back anymore. "I nodded. I felt tears escape from my eyes. But this time, they weren't because I w
♡ Skylar ♡I stopped my car in the compound and pulled out my phone. I opened Samantha's new text."Ethan is not with Aurora. You can go in now. Be careful and use the taser if things get out of hand but hopefully, it doesn't. He has cameras everywhere so don't talk to anyone on the phone on your way in"I exhaled and stared at the taser peeking out from my pants pocket before pushing it back in properly.Our plan was for me to go in, and meet Ethan while Sam distracts the men guarding Aurora, saves her, and leaves. Immediately Sam escapes, she takes Aurora to Alfred, who is with the police, and the Police come in to take Ethan. Some officers had been deployed to Mr Jun's office also. It was a good plan. But one mistake and everything could go wrong.I put my phone in my pocket and got out of the car. As soon as I stepped out, a guy walked up to me. He looked at me carefully as if studying my features. "I'm here for Ethan" He raised a finger on the receiver in his ear and muttered
♡ Skylar ♡"Skylar," I heard Alfred's voice. I looked up just as he pushed open the door and rushed into the head teacher's office. He cupped my cheeks immediately, his eyes filled with worry."Are you okay?"Was I? I was freaking out internally. I mean, who wouldn't? My only child was abducted. If I were the one, I'd be scared to death, not to talk of a five-year-old. I wonder how scared she'd be right now. The thought alone made my heart squeeze. I had cried but wiped it off immediately. Crying was going to solve nothing. In fact, I have had enough of this shit already. First, it was shooting Hannah, and now abducting my daughter?"It was Ethan who took her,"His jaw clenched as he let go of me. "That bastard has gone too far,"I turned around just as he turned to the principal. "How could you let a pupil leave with someone without the parent's approval?!""I apologize, Mr Miller. We had no idea because he used to come with Ms DeNovo on some occasions, " the head teacher replied.
♡ Skylar ♡I stepped back in shock, my lips apart and my eyes widened. What could I call this discovery? Surprising? Shocking?Hannah was the Informant. How had I not known? No, how did she manage to hide it so well that I didn't suspect her not even once? Why did she go as far as that? Why didn't she just come clean to me? She knows so much about Alfred's family, she hates Alfred and contacted me as the informant because she knew as Hannah that I wanted revenge. Wait. Ethan lied to me. She deceived me all this while. Come to think of it, did she befriend me at first for these years just to get at Alfred?"I know what you're thinking and trust me that's far from it" She began calmly as she put her phone away. I shook my head. "No, how can I? I already have trust issues because of you and Ethan!""What? Don't compare me to Ethan""At least listen to what I have to say"I nodded. "Okay go on, tell me the perfect cooked excuse you have brewed"She sighed. "You see, my mother had a thi
The next morning♡ Skylar ♡I snapped my eyes to Aurora's plate as soon as I walked into the kitchen. I raised my brow, seeing the slices of bread untouched on her plate."Rora, why aren't you finished yet? You're going to be late for school. " She adjusted herself on the seat, picking up a slice. "Daddy keeps giving me more," she muttered before stuffing the bread in her mouth. I looked over at Alfred, who was seated opposite her, and narrowed my eyes in accusation, but he just shot me a smile.I rolled my eyes."You know, she doesn't eat much, she's forcing herself because you gave it to her," I replied and reached over to her plate, taking the last slice and eating it."Sweetheart, you should have told me," She gave him a sheepish smile in return."Ugh, my bones are so weak it feels like I was the one doing the dancing last night," Arielle groaned. We all turned our heads towards the door as we watched her walk in while dragging her feet.She yawned loudly as she stretched her ar
♡ Skylar ♡"I knew she was going to fall asleep" I muttered as I took my eyes off Aurora's sleeping figure in the backseat."I'm going to, too but I'm afraid my brother will ask me to be left overnight in the car" Arielle added in a whisper causing me to chuckle.The dance performance had ended about two hours ago and Alfred had suggested we eat dinner in a restaurant before we headed home. Right after we got back in the car, towards my house, Aurora had fallen asleep. I wouldn't blame her though. She was just a little girl and her day had been stressful, besides it was late at night."Right, Ari, why are you still staying at Skylar's?" Alfred suddenly asked.I heard her mutter something incoherently before she added."Because my work is not over yet. The resort is not completed right?"She sighed and leaned forward, to settle herself between the front seats of the car."Though I don't want to quit. It's the best job, can I keep it?" She asked. I turned to her while smiling."I can al
The next day♡ Skylar ♡I stared down at my laptop immediately after the worker ended her presentation. Flexing my knuckles, I gave her a small smile and a nod."That was good. Everything is precise, but I still need to look into it. "Closing my laptop, I glanced at everyone in the room."Let's meet again tomorrow before lunch and I'll give my final decision,""Yes ma'am"I smiled, grabbed my laptop, and headed out of the meeting room.These past five months have been different. It was like everyone just disappeared. After that unfortunate incident with Ethan, I had seen him one or two times that week before he disappeared. I never saw him again or heard from him, and neither did Hannah. I didn't tell Alfred how Ethan had acted like a jerk. He was going to probably kill him, but that wasn't what I wanted yet. Finding strong evidence against them was what we were working on now, and I did my best to stay away from Mr Jun.Mom and I were working our relationship together and trying t
♡ Alfred ♡I dropped the gift bag I carried in, on the table and looked towards the stairs. Just then, Aurora came bouncing down the stairs."Daddy!" She giggled. I grinned and crouched to her level, opening my arms. She rushed into my arms, hugging me tightly. When she finally pulled away, I patted her hair lovingly as she kept a wide smile on her face."How was school today, sweetheart?"A frown immediately appeared on her face, making her look even more adorable. "A little bit interesting and a little bit boring,"I chuckled. "Why do you say so?"She shrugged. "It was interesting because I made a new friend but boring because my teacher taught a really really hard topic" She emphasized how hard it was in such a funny way that I couldn't help my laughter."Is that so?" I asked in between laughter."Daddy," she whined. I smiled so wide that my cheek hurt. Skylar had done such a great job in raising her that sometimes I didn't believe she was just five. Other times I can't help but
♡ Skylar ♡"How did you survive the fire, Mom?"I had lost count of how long we had stayed hugging and crying but Dad had found us in the room and then found out that I knew she was my biological mother. Currently, Mom was preparing dinner. We were all going to have dinner as a family and tell Samantha about us. I didn't know if Mom was going to leave the house but from the look of things, spending five years in the house with Dad, she had grown into him. It would feel nice to stay as one but my only fear was Samantha. "Should I call it fate?" Mom replied as she pulled open the lid of the pot. The aroma filled the kitchen and I salivated. I always knew something was familiar about her cooking.She turned to me. "Samantha's father found me when I fell unconscious from the fire."Right. I had to thank him. He found my mom and me. Somehow he was that string that brought us back together. "We made a deal for him to take me in. I'd pretend to be Samantha's mother. I wanted to disagree