27. "And... This goes... here," Janette smiled as she placed the flower vase on the dining table while Sophia went to get the dinner they had prepared. After the confrontation at her office, Liam had apologized and had told her he would try his best to show her that he was the best person for her, to show her that she didn't have to think about Lucas anymore, and Ethan wouldn't have to lack a fatherly figure in his life. He had suggested they did normal things couples do. Like, having a relaxing evening dinner together, going on movie dates, the park and even grocery shopping together. Janette had been excited, and she was happy as she was getting the table ready for them to have dinner like a big, happy family. Liam had not been able to make it the last two nights due to work, but he promised to make it today, and she was happy for that. "Ma'am, should I put the chicken soup along side the rice, or it'll be eaten separately since we have stew." Sophia inquired with a smile, hol
28. "I was in the neighborhood so I decided to come say hi to you and Ethan." he answered. "How did you know I live here, Lucas? What the heck is wrong with you? Why won't you just leave me alone, huh?" she snapped, her expression hardening as a friend settled on her face. Lucas sighed and ruffled his hair. "I'm sorry if I came here out of the blue, Janette. I just wanted to see my son-" "Stop calling him your son!" she yelled, her fists clenched. "You lost that right when you almost killed me years ago." "I had no idea you were bleeding for real, Janette," he said, his voice breaking. "I thought you were doing that to get my attention, but it's not an excuse and I'm sorry. I won't get tired of apologizing until you forgive me," his eyes turned misty and Janette could only stare at him with wide eyes. "You're free to do whatever you like with me. Punish me, insult me, beat me up, or even break me, but please," he looked into her glassy eyes. "Please, don't keep me from seeing my
29. A week later, “Do you think Uncle Liam will be able to make it, mummy?” Ethan asked Janette as they waited at the park. She smiled and nodded. “Yes. He promised that he was going to be here.” she answered but she wasn’t so sure anymore. It had been thirty minutes and she was beginning to wonder if he was going to make it or not. A few minutes later, she knew he wasn’t going to make it. Her smile faltered immediately. He promised… he promised her he would make it to the park to make up for all the times he hadn’t been able to spend with them. He personally suggested they came to the park and wait for him, now he was nowhere to be found? Janette facepalmed. She couldn't do this anymore. She was sick and tired of giving him second chances only for him to disappoint her all the time. She looked down at Ethan. “I guess he’s busy.” she said and Ethan nodded. “Let’s go home, mummy! I don’t feel like playing on the swings or running around the water fountain anymore.” he lo
30. After Ethan had played to his satisfaction, he fell asleep in Lucas’s arms as they walked back to where the car was parked. Janette walked beside Lucas, her eyes darting towards them now and then. Sophie, on the other hand, seemed to be in her own little world. She maintained a straight facial expression, but it was like a volcano was about to erupt inside her. She took deep calming breaths severally to maintain her composure. When they got to where the car was parked, Janette opened the door and Lucas helped tuck Ethan in. Janette made sure he was secure and wouldn’t fall while she was driving before shutting the car door and facing Lucas. “Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to play with Ethan today,” she gave him a polite bow, but Lucas only raised a brow. “Jane, stop that,” he said, and she looked up to meet his eyes. “Why are you talking like it’s a job I was paid to do?” he sighed. “It’s my responsibility, so you don’t have to thank me. I should be than
031.When Janette got home, her eyes darted to Liam’s car which was parked in the compound. With a sigh, she parked her car beside it and got out, took Ethan who was still sound asleep and walked into the house.Liam was seated on the couch and sprung to his feet the minute he saw her walking in. He approached her, attempting to take sleeping Ethan from her, but she moved back, her expression hardening as she headed up the stairs to Ethan’s room.Liam facepalmed. There was no doubt that she was mad that he had bailed on them when he was supposed to come have fun at the park with them. He rushed up the stairs and walked into Ethan’s room where he saw that she had already taken his shoes off and tucked him into bed.“Jane,” he called, but she acted as if she didn’t hear him. Instead, she focused on making sure Ethan was comfortable. “Please, hear me out.” “Do you want to wake him up?” she asked, not sparing him a glance, and he pursed his lips as he waited for her to finish.When she w
032.“You seem to be in a very good mood today, Lucas.” Alan took a seat on the chair facing Lucas’s desk as he studied his best friend’s expression. He hadn’t seen Lucas this happy ever since the divorce with Janette six years ago.He wondered what could have made him like this. Lucas swayed in his chair. “Alan, my buddy, you wouldn’t believe that I ran into Janette and Ethan at the amusement park yesterday,” he began and Alan’s ears perked up to hear more. “She actually wanted to run like she used to and be all cold and savage on him, but I developed the courage to speak to her and got her into making me spend time with Ethan,” he smiled, remembering how Janette had stared at him while he was running around with Ethan.She might think he didn’t see her, but he was watching her from the corner of his eyes. He could see how she spoke with Sophie with her eyes fixed on them, and even though he had no idea what she was talking to Sophie about—something he had planned to ask later—he di
33.HARRY CORP“Believe me, I tried, but Rosa is one tough nut to crack. She almost poked my eyes out with her fork.” Alan pouted, looking at Lucas, who gave him a knowing look.Lucas folded his arms relaxing his back on his chair. “What happened to you knowing your way around women, Alan?” Lucas’s eyes narrowed at Alan.Alan cleared his throat, adjusting his tie. “Rosa isn’t just any woman, Lucas,” he muttered, running his hands through his black hair, his gray eyes holding frustration. “She is more like a man in a woman’s body if you ask me.” Lucas sighed, shaking his head. “So you’re trying to tell me you weren’t able to convince her to help us, is that it?” he asked and Alan bit his lower lip. “She is Janette’s personal assistant. Without her help, we can’t get through to Janette, and I need to plan that date and make Janette fall in love with me again.”Alan shook his head in frustration, his eyes darting nervously around the room as he considered the situation.“We need to find
034. Janette paced the living room as she waited for Liam to come pick them up. He'd already told them he was on his way, and she kept praying that he made it; that he wasn't just telling her lies. They were to go out for family dinner today, and this was the last chance she was giving him to prove himself. To prove that he really cared for their family. Soon, they heard the honk of a car. "Uncle Liam is here!" Ethan yelled as he rushed down the stairs. "Careful, Ethan!" Sophia rushed after him and was able to scoop him into her arms before he got to the end of the stairs. "Whoa, aren't you excited today." she chuckled, descending the stairs and setting him down. Ethan giggled, rushing into Janette's arms. "Oh my little ray of sunshine," she pecked his forehead. "You're a fine young man." Ethan smiled, wrapping his tiny arms around Janette. "You're beautiful, Mommy," he said, his smile so innocent that Janette couldn't resist kissing his cheeks. Janette turned to face Sophia. "
057.Liam made to walk to where Lucas stood but Janette blocked his path. “Don't, Liam,” she warned. “You don't have to start a fight as soon as you see him.”“Yeah, that's why I need to know what he is doing in our house. Technically, he doesn't belong here and isn't supposed to be here.” Liam complained.“Calm down,” Janette held his hand. “Lucas just helped me bring Ethan home from school, that's all.”“That's all?” Liam asked, his eyes narrowing at Lucas. “And I saw him holding your hand? And you didn't even bother saying anything about it.”Janette bit her lower lip. “It's not what you think it is,” she sighed. “You just got back and need rest. Don't bother yourself with this.”Lucas said nothing and just watched them. He wondered why Liam didn't ask about Ethan and just went straight to talking trash about him? He shrugged and decided to forget about it. That wasn't his cup of tea. Besides, Ethan was HIS son. Liam glared at Lucas. “Just get out of this place. Nobody wants to se
056.When they returned to the car, Fiona turned to Lucas with a smile on her face. “Thank you so much for helping Ethan and Amaya out. I'll leave with Amaya now,” she smiled softly at the little girl. “Amaya, say bye bye to Ethan now.”“Mommy, can I go home with Ethan? Mr. Lucas is around and he always gets us chocolates.” Amaya smiled cutely.Lucas drew in a breath. Unfortunately, he didn't get any chocolates today. Fiona quickly noticed and smiled. She had rushed here the minute she got a call from Sophia as well. She had asked Sophia to watch Amaya as well.“Oh, sweetie, let's go freshen up first. You'll come see Ethan after that, okay?” Amaya was shocked by how soft her mother sounded but she nodded with a smile. Fiona smiled at Lucas one more time before turning to leave but came face to face with Janette.Janette, who was initially shocked to see Fiona come, wondered if the woman had changed. “Fiona, didn't expect to see you here. I guess you aren't that hard hearted afterall.
055.Janette dropped the cards and sprung to her feet. “I'll be right there.”“What happened?” Lucas asked, his expression filled with worry.“Sophia just called to tell me Ethan was hurt by a bully in school. She went to pick him up and saw that he had a bandage on his face. I gotta go!”Aunt Maryanne gasped. “A bully? In kindergarten?”Lucas was annoyed. “Let's go. I'll drive.” he said.Janette shook his head. “There's no need for that. I can go by myself.” she tried to rush out but Lucas grabbed her wrist.“Right now you're panicking. You aren't in the right state of mind and I can't let you go into that road driving, okay?” Janette seemed to calm down a bit and nodded. She had no choice anyway. “Fine. Let's go.” she rushed out of the ward.Aunt Maryanne gave Lucas a thumbs up before he rushed after Janette. As they dashed out of the ward, Janette couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that gripped her heart. She was already envisioning the worst. Sophia had been vague on the phone,
054.“You're okay and good to go, Auntie.” Janette smiled at Aunt Maryanne, who couldn't help rejoicing but then she looked at Lucas, who was seated on the couch. He had come to pick her up.Aung Maryanne sighed. “Oh my! Oh!” she placed her hand on her head.Janette raised an eyebrow. “Auntie, what is wrong?” “What's wrong, Aunt?” Lucas asked.Aunt Maryanne groaned and plopped down on the bed. “My head is aching seriously and my legs are all wobbly. I don't think it's a good idea to discharge me today. Oh!” Lucas was confused. Where the heck did the sudden pain come from? But when Aung Maryanne winked at him and subtly gestured for him to play along, he nodded. “Oh my gosh, Aunt, thosd migraines are back again? I can't believe this!” he feigned shock and panic.Janette was confused as she stared at two of them. “What has come again? What's going on?” she asked, her expression filled with worry.Lucas sighed. “Aunt Maryanne usually has occasional migraines that make her legs go all w
053.Mia's eyes widened when she saw Bella running out of the place wailing, her body drenched in dirty water. The other employees who had no idea what had happened watched Bella in awe. Sophie returned with a satisfactory smile on her face and sat down with a chuckle. “What.Did.You.Do?” Mia asked, stressing every word. Sophie glanced at her perfectly manicured nails and smiled before looking up at Mia. “I taught how to keep her mouth shut and not say dirt to my face of course.” she replied. “Oh my God, Mia, you should have seen her face. She was like a lion earlier, but when she saw that I was about to beat her up, she began acting like a cute little kitten. That didn't fool me. I made sure I put her in her place.”Mia shook her head, a look of displeasure on her face. “You shouldn't have done that, Sophie,” she said and Sophie rolled her eyes. “Even if you wanted to do anything to her, you could have waited until work hours are over. Don't you know there are security cameras here
052.HARRY CORP“I’m serious, Mia. It’s definitely his ex-wife.” Sophie folded her arms with a frown on her face. She had been angry that Lucas wasn’t spending much time in the office like he used to anymore, and she was darn sure it’s because of Janette.Mia rolled her eyes as she looked into the magazine in her hand. “Why is that your problem? If he chooses to spend most time with his ex-wife, shouldn’t you be happy for him? I mean they might reconcile, and he would finally be happy.”Sophia glared at Mia. “What the heck did you just say? Can you hear yourself speak?” she groaned and facepalmed. “Why should I be happy because they might reconcile? I don’t want them to reconcile, Mia. If the go, I’ll lose him for sure.”“Hello, he was never yours to begin with.” Mia scoffed. “Look, Sophie, there are plenty of guys out there who would definitely like you once they set their eyes on you. You’re a beautiful woman. You shouldn’t be thinking of ruining someone else’s chance with his ex-wi
051.Janette walked into her office and closed the door. She rested her back on it, her hand running through her hair when she recalled what happened with Lucas at the hallway. She couldn't believe it. Just a word and her touch from him made her body react in ways they hadn't in a very long time. He didn't even need to work hard to get a reaction from her. And yet, she sleeps on the same bed with Liam everyday and feels nothing."Shit," she facepalmed. This wasn't good. Her eyes caught a bag...something like a shopping bag on her table and her brows furrowed. That wasn't there when she was in the office a few minutes ago. She walked to the table and took the bag. 'For Doc. Jane.' was written on a paper attached to it.Janette wondered who gave it to her. She opened it and flowers were the first thing she saw. She picked the bouquet of roses, a smile gracing her face. Could Liam have gotten them for her?She dropped the flower and brought out a box of perfume. "Chocolate perfume, my
050.Lucas stopped in front of them. Rosa smiled at him and he nodded at her. She cleared her throat. "Uh, I'll excuse you two." she quickly walked away before Janette would ask her to stay.Janette shut her eyes tight and facepalmed. "What are you doing here, Lucas?" she asked, her tone softer than she intended.Lucas smiled and sat down, facing her. "Have you forgotten, Doc?" he asked, his tone formal which made Janette arch a brow. "I have an Aunt in your hospital. I came to see her. She's doing wonderfully well, and I wanted to thank the genius doctor who made it happen."Janette had no idea why he was being so formal with her. She knew she should be happy that he was at least doing that, but she had no idea why she felt weird and strange when he did it. Rosa couldn't be correct, right? With a sigh, she looked at Lucas who smiled at her. "You shouldn't have bothered, Mr. Harry," she said, a smile playing on her lips at his expression. Good. He wanted to be formal, right? Two can
049.J.H HOSPITAL "So, how did it go? You said you we're gonna tell me all about it today." Janette smiled at Rosa during their lunch break. Knowing the kind of person Rosa was, Janette really wanted to know how it went. Maybe-just maybe-Rosa would finally find someone who loves her, and who she loves back as well.Rosa cleared her throat, her eyes darting around the cafeteria. She wondered how much of what happened she should share, especially now that she didn't want Janette to know that her date was Alan yet. "To be honest," she began, taking a sip from her juice. "I really enjoyed the date. He took me to a fancy restaurant, we talked about some things, talked about college and our recent state. After that, we went star gazing. The sky was alive with stars last night." she smiled.Janette watched her closely, a smile playing on her lips. "It was, wasn't it?" she asked."Yeah," Rosa answered. "After everything, he brought me back home and we said our goodbyes. I actually had fun, b