12. Lucas returned to his office and took a seat. He swayed in his chair and heaved a deep breath. His eyes gazed blankly at the wall as he thought about Janette's words. He knew he had hurt her deeply, and he didn't blame her for feeling the way she did. He deserved her anger, her hatred, and her resentment. But he couldn't give up. He couldn't lose hope. He had to make things right, not just for himself, but for their son, Ethan. He wanted to be a good father and a good partner as well. He wanted to show her the love he had deprived her of in the past. Lucas took a deep breath and stood up from his chair. He walked over to the window and stared out at the city. He sighed as he watched people go about their daily lives. He returned to his chair and took a seat. His personal assistant walked into the office with a smile and bowed slightly. “Sir, you have a meeting with the board of directors in fifteen minutes. They will be at the conference room anytime soon.” Lucas sighed
13. THE CAFETERIA… Sophie sat at the cafeteria, her tray of food in front of her, but she hadn't touched it. She was so lost in thoughts that she didn't know when her colleague and best friend, Mia, sat in front of her. Mia watched Sophie for a while, wondering what was wrong with her. When she couldn't take how pitiful Sophie was looking, she tapped her, causing her to flinch. “What is wrong with you? You haven't even touched your food. Are you sick?” she asked, but Sophie shook her head. “Then what is wrong with you?” Sophie sighed and looked around to make sure nobody's attention was on them before speaking up. “It's Mr. Lucas.” she answered and Mia sighed. “I should have known he's the only reason you can sit here, lost in deep thoughts and not touching your food,” she rolled her eyes and Sophie frowned at her. “What is up with him this time, Sophie?” she asked. Sophie adjusted in her seat and looked at Mia, her expression sad. “Mr. Lucas doesn't seem happy lately, an
14. “No way! Are you serious?” Janette asked, her heart literally bubbling with joy. This was the best news she has heard today. Liam chuckled from the other end. “I can’t wait to finally see you, Jane.” She blushed, her face beaming with smiles. “I can’t wait to see you too. I bet Ethan will be thrilled to hear this news,” she said and there was no reply from the other end. “When are you coming? I need to get everything ready and prepare your favorite meal of course.” Liam hummed. “I’ve missed your cooking, Jane. I simply can’t wait,” he said and she chuckled. “I’ll be coming in two days.” Janette couldn’t contain her joy. “I can’t wait.” They talked for a while before hanging up and Janette couldn’t help but smile throughout the day. She had to even get off work early so she could pick Ethan up from school, take him to his favorite cupcake shop and allow him to have fun. * “Mummy!” Ethan exclaimed the minute he saw her walk through the door. He rushed into her arms and she pe
15.“Beauty tips?” Janette blinked. “She is just a kid!”Fiona scoffed. “That doesn’t matter,” she blurted out, her gaze flying to Ethan, who stood, holding on to Janette’s hands. She couldn’t deny that Ethan was good-looking and she wondered what skin cares routine Janette uses for him. “What skin care routine do you use for your little boy?” she asked and Janette blinked.Janette looked at Ethan then back at Fiona.Ethan was quick to defend his mother. “My mummy doesn’t use any skin care routine on me. I am naturally good-looking. I got it from my daddy!” Fiona raised an eyebrow. “There is no way you’d look handsome and cute without your mother using any skin care products on you. Trust me, you’re just a kid and you know nothing. You’re simply—”“I’d have to stop you right there, Fiona,” Janette interrupted with a raise of her palm. “My son is naturally cute and adorable, and so is your daughter, Amaya. You should focus on taking better care of her and her needs instead of trying t
16.After dinner, Janette cleared the place and tucked Ethan into bed before making her way to the porch with a cup of coffee in her hand. Since Liam was returning home today, she didn't want to bother Sophia with coming over anymore and had to do most things herself.She took a seat and crossed her legs over themselves as she gazed at the stars with a smile on her face. She had always loved watching the stars every night but after everything turned upside down, she lost her love for them.She felt they weren’t even living things and they got to stay up there tasked with only the job of aiding the moon in lighting everywhere while her life was in shambles.But after she got her life back together, she felt apologetic and developed her love for them again. She heaved a deep breath as they shone and shimmered above her head.She took a sip from her coffee and her phone beeped. She took it and checked to see that there was an emergency at the hospital that needed her attention immediatel
17.Janette stared at Lucas, her mouth agape. The world was a small place, wasn't it? She had fought tooth and nail to save this woman's life not knowing that the woman was the Aunt to her jerky ex-husband.Lucas looked up to meet Janette's gaze. Her expression turned indifferent at the sight of him and it made him feel hurt. "How is she, please?" he asked, his voice slightly shaken.Janette sighed. "She made it through surgery and will be fine," she said and Lucas breathe a sigh of relief. "The healing process is going to be long, but I will be with her every step of the way."Lucas felt grateful. He held her hand. "Thank you so much, Janette. You have no idea what this means to me. Aunt Mary had always been my source of comfort and confidant-""Mr. Lucas?" she interrupted him, pulling her hand away from his grasp. "I am not interested in your history with her or how good your relationship with her is. What I'm concerned about is her health and I already told you she would be fine."
18."I'm still not understanding what you mean, Liam," she replied, her eyes not leaving his. "And why are you snapping at me?"Liam's gaze didn't falter. "You should know exactly what I mean, Jane. If you're seeing Lucas often, it's only natural that he would try to win you back," he said and Janette instantly knew what this was all about. Liam was feeling insecure.She sighed. "Calm down, Liam. I am already over Lucas. You don't have to worry about anything. Don't you trust me?" she asked.Liam seemed to calm down a bit as he responded. "I trust you. It's that motherfucker I don't trust. There is no doubt he would try to find a way to get back together with you."Janette held his hand to reassure him. "I'm with you now. Lucas can only try, but he would never take me away from you. So, relax."Liam sighed and ruffled his hair. "I'm sorry for the way I snapped at you. It's just that I couldn't bear the thought of you two spending time together, and now his Aunt is at the hospital. Yo
19.Lucas turned to look at Janette, his eyes filled with hurt. When she told him she had a fiancé, she thought it was all a ploy to get him to leave her alone since she was angry with him. He couldn’t believe she really had a fiancé.Janette looked at him, her expression unreadable. Well… that served him right. He needed to know his place anyway.“Jane,” he called, his voice low and unsteady. “It’s really true? Tell me he is joking.” he looked at Liam, who had a smirk on his face.“Why do you need to know if it’s true or not? Isn’t it obvious,” he walked to where Janette stood and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “She is going to be my wife soon. We are planning our wedding soon.”Lucas ignored Liam and faced Janette. “Tell me, Janette, tell me it’s not true.” he tried to touch her but she moved away from him.She intertwined her fingers with that of Liam and looked at Lucas. “It’s true, Lucas. Liam and I will soon get married.”Lucas felt like a thousand needles had just been
046. Next day... "Why are you in such a hurry to get off work today, Rosa? Is there something you're hiding from me?" Janette asked, looking at Rosa with a suspicious expression on her face. Rosa cleared her throat. "What are you talking about? I don't know what you're talking about." she picked up the files from the table, her eyes everywhere but Janette. Janette shook her head. "You know you can't lie to me, right? And by now, you should know that you aren't good at hiding your expressions." she took the files from her and put them on the shelf. Rosa smiled. "It's nothing. I'm just excited to get off work, enjoy a cozy dinner, that's all." Janette's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, Rosa, are you going on a date? You finally allowed a man into that cold and stony heart of yours?" Rosa blushed, trying and failing to suppress a smile. "It's not a date," she protested, but her voice lacked conviction. Janette rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, sure. Whatever you say, Rosa. But
045. Janette walked into the hospital and headed straight for Aunt Maryanne's ward. “Aunt, I bought you fruits. They'd be really good for your-” her words caught in her throat when she saw Genevieve seated with Aunt Maryanne. Genevieve smiled at her. “Good morning, Doc.” Janette raised an eyebrow at her. What's with the smile and the formality? Wait, she was the one who hated the woman being informal before. Does this mean Genevieve would finally leave her alone? “Uh, it seems you're busy now, Aunt. I'll come see you later.” “Oh no, Janette, I'm perfectly free,” Aunt Maryanne smiled. “Come drop the fruits here and tell me when you'll finally let me get out of here.” Janette hesitated for a moment but sighed and nodded. She dropped the basket of fruits and sat beside Aunt Maryanne. Genevieve watched how Janette examined Aunt Maryanne, awed by how she expertly did her work. She couldn't believe this was the same Janette from six years ago. “You're gorgeous when you're b
044.“Bella? You have a son?” Janette asked, the words sounding awkward in her mouth. How on earth did Bella get a son? When did the lady get married? Wait… how's this even possible?Bella scoffed, folding her arms. “What? Did you expect me to be barren like you? Or did you think I don't have the ability to give birth to children just because your ex-husband couldn't keep his dick in his pants?” Janette blinked. “Wow! Someone's got issues,” she said. “I bet shutting you up the last time didn't work that well.”“You-”“Good morning, Ladies,” Mrs. Yuna, the woman Janette suspected to be one of the school's management, spoke up as she walked the center of the room. “Ms. Wayne, please have a seat.” she said and Janette nodded.Janette took a seat on one of the chairs beside Bella. Bella, repulsed by Janette being close to her, snorted and stood up, sitting as far away from her as possible. Janette didn't mind. Her focus was on the fact that Bella's “son” has bullied Ethan and Amaya. Now
043.GEOFFREY CORP..."Do you think Janette is going to like this idea?" Victor asked, staring at the box of ring in Liam's hand. The diamond glinted in the light, its beauty making Liam smile at what he was planning.Liam closed the ring box and looked at Victor. "It's not like she has any choice, Victor. Whether the tides work in our favour or not is none of my business. I can't sit and watch Lucas take her away from me. Not after everything I've given up to be here. Not after everything I've given up to hold her in my arms." Victor sighed. "But trapping her with a ring doesn't guarantee her falling in love with you.""You're wrong," Liam said. "Once I propose to her with this ring, she would have no choice but to accept me. Then she would know that a marriage would be forthcoming. And not just that, she would realize she is going to become my wife. That will make her fall for me of course because there would be no way out anymore."Victor shook his head. He knew Liam was not makin
042."Aunt Maryanne, you're making this look harder than it already is," Janette sighed and stood to her feet. "I never intended to get married to him due to gratitude or anything. I just..." she ruffled her hair as she paced the ward room. "I thought I would fall in love with him. I didn't know Lucas was going to spring back into my life, Aunt Maryanne. I'm just devastated."Aunt Maryanne reached out to touch her hand. "You are a strong lady, Janette. And... you are way too nice for your own good. You don't marry someone to show that you're grateful to them. You marry them because you love them. Marriage isn't a game of dice, my dear. And I'm not even telling you this because I'm Lucas' Aunt and I want you two to be together. I'm saying this because I care about you. Whatever you choose, I will support you, but I won't let you go into something you aren't sure of."Janette sighed, feeling a wave of relief wash over her at Aunt Maryanne's words. She rushed to Aunt Maryanne and hugged
041. A week later... "How are you doing today, Aunt Maryanne?" Janette asked with a smile as she walked into Aunt Maryanne's ward. Aunt Maryanne sat up with a smile. "I'm feeling a lot better. The migraines are gone and I can't wait to get out of here soon," she said and Janette looked up at her. "I didn't mean it like that sweetie. I meant to leave the hospital, not you of course. The smell of medicine and disinfectant makes me sick, sugar." Janette chuckled. "I get you. And you're recovering rapidly. If this keeps up, I'm sure you would be discharged next weekend." Aunt Maryanne couldn't help her joy. "That's wonderful news. Now," she winked at Janette. "How about the surprise you said you had for me? You know I like me some good unexpected things, right?" Janette smiled. "The surprise is on his way. Sophia is bringing him." "Who's Sophia?" Aunt Maryanne asked. Janette beamed. "You will know when they get here," she said and sighed. "Give me a few minutes. I'll be right bac
040.LUCAS' MANSION "You did what?!" Alan couldn't believe what he just heard. "You cried and grabbed onto her legs?" he asked, laughing and walking around the room.Lucas swayed the wine glass in his hand, the contents of the wine swirling as he stared into space. "It's not funny, Alan." he sighed, lowering his head.Alan laughed again and clapped his hands. "It's funny as fuck, Lucas," he chuckled again. "Who would have thought that the feared and famous billionaire Lucas Harry would be so vulnerable to the extent of crying and clinging to his ex wife for dear life?"Lucas scoffed. "Laugh one more time and I'll cut your allowance. You know I can do that!" he threatened.Alan scoffed. "Oh please, that won't affect me. I could just leave your company and finally take over my father's company. I already have enough money to get by." Lucas rolled his eyes and sat down, his expression turning thoughtful. He had only done that at the spur of the moment. He used to be aloof and cold to o
039.Lucas couldn’t believe what he was doing. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that he would be crying in front of Janette. He was just overwhelmed and couldn’t get control over his emotions. But that wasn’t even his concern right now. He was in her arms. In her fucking arms. He never thought he’d see the day, but here in was, the arms of the one woman that he loved so much. Lucas closed his eyes to savor the moment.Janette stared at him, her heart aching and softening at the same time. Why was the matter of the heart so complicated? She sneered. How can someone make you hurt and love at the same time?“Lucas,” she called. “I think that’s enough. People are coming, and I think you need to get off right now.”Lucas didn’t want to leave her, but he wouldn’t want any news flying around about her either. He reluctantly pulled away from the hug and Janette quickly stood to her feet. “I think we are done here. Goodnight, Mr. Harry.” she didn’t wait for him to say anything else b
038.Lucas stared at Janette all through his gala, his mind filled with thoughts of what Aunt Maryanne had told him. Had she really changed that much that he didn’t know her anymore? He wouldn’t blame her, though. It was all his fault. He was the reason she’s changed and is now cold and indifferent towards him.Janette just wanted the gala to be over so she could leave. Sitting here with him was very uncomfortable for her. When it was time for auctions, she folded her arms without showing any interest in it.Meanwhile, Rosa and Alan faced each other, Rosa feeling like tearing him to shreds. “Well, my night just got bad. What the heck are you doing on the same table with me?” she asked.Alan chuckled while rubbing the back of his head nervously. “Can’t you see it? Destiny is bringing us together. I think we are meant to be.”Rosa snorted. “You really think so highly of yourself, don’t you? Do you think any woman would want to be with a bully like you?”“C’mon, Rosa, that was years ago.