September 14, 2024. Chapter 1-2. I'm a bit late today. The 2nd chapter will be in around midnight. That's after two hours or so.
“Hey?” Riley was surprised to find her husband beside her at one in the morning. “When did you get here?”“I arrived almost midnight. I did not want to wake you,” Adrian softly said. “I’m sorry I came back so late. We needed to make sure that Fredrick’s accomplices were arrested too.”“One of Dad’s new workers at the old mansion was in on it,” Adrian shared. “The rest were mostly Nolan’s men.”“I’m confused. Why was Nolan helping them?” Riley asked. Adrian groaned. He replied, “Apparently, Tonet and Nolan were having an affair. It had gone on for over a year.”“I think Nolan purposely pursued Tonet because he always wanted to get more shares from the company. It’s like what he said; he wanted to be the chairman,” Adrian told his wife.“Okay, so Nolan had nothing to do with your accident?” Riley asked. “No, he was just a recent addition to the team,” Adrian replied. “It had always been Tonet and Fredrick.”“Are they all locked up?” Riley asked. “Yes, Nolan may have gotten bail for th
"Honey? Who are you calling? Why aren't you happy with the celebration?" Riley asked her husband, seeing him constantly make a phone call. The party was nearing its end. Many of the guests had left, and those that were left behind formed small groups, chatting. The couple was with Abner, Renee, Zia and Clint. Gaby had already rested for the night since she was exhausted. Charles and Raelyn were at another table discussing with Kyle the possibility of signing M. Rose as the lead official interior designer for the project in Hawaii.In response to Riley, Adrian said, "I am happy, Honey -" He looked up to his grandfather and said, "Grandpa and I are just... worried.""Worried?" Riley asked. "About Dad," Adrian answered. "I have been calling him for the last hour, and he isn't picking up.""After we have confirmed that Tonet and Fredrick were behind Adrian's accident, Anthony seemed distant," Abner revealed. "He has been overworking.""I noticed it too," Renee remarked. "After I discove
"Look, Dad, it's the baby!" Riley pointed to the ultrasound monitor. As part of their efforts to involve Anthony in their lives, Riley and Adrian invited him to her next checkup with Zia. Anthony had been in the hospital for four days now. It was determined that he required therapy to regain muscle control following his heart attack and head injury. Thus, he would stay in the hospital until the week's end and return for treatments. Adrian pushed Anthony's wheelchair closer to see the ultrasound monitor as Zia navigated the probe on Riley's belly. Anthony nearly cried seeing the baby. He said, "Reminds me of when I first accompanied Adrian's mother to her checkup." He was emotional as he turned to Adrian and Riley, saying, "Thank you for letting me see this.""Well, are you guys ready?" Zia asked. "Very ready," Riley responded. Zia took her time. She smiled for the next few seconds as she continued to study the screen. Then, she finally announced, "And it's a...GIRL! Congratulatio
"Where are you taking me, Honey? I'm so excited!" Riley expressed while she stared at the road through the car window. "We could use a quick break - I could use a one-week vacation," Adrian said from his side of the seat. Two weeks had gone by after Anthony was discharged from the hospital. After they had ensured that Adrian's father was emotionally stable enough to go on with his treatments without them, the couple decided to go on a vacation. "We are going to the place where we had our first special moment," Adrian revealed, and Riley raised a brow. "And then, I have a surprise for you during this trip.""The island?" Riley asked, her face flushing. Then, she named the caretakers of the island, "Miguel? Lorenzo and Mariana?" Adrian chuckled. He answered, "Yes, them, and you will have a lot of seafood. However, we need to cut down on those crustaceans, Riley. You need more omega 3.""I'm still excited! I can't wait," Riley said cheerfully, embracing her husband and kissing his che
“What are we having?” Riley asked. “Are we going to get married again? Because I don’t remember fitting any gown.”The crowd of photographers and stylists laughed around her. Adrian chuckled and walked towards Riley, kissing her on the forehead. He said, “Honey, we will have a maternity photoshoot.”Riley’s mouth fell open. She said, “Oh!”She looked at her belly and laughed. “Of course!”Riley made a face and turned to everyone, saying, “I just woke up.”“Good morning, Mrs. King. I’m Rhona, and I’ll be styling you for today’s shoot,” A woman with red hair said. Riley quickly bathed. Adrian joined her for breakfast, and after that, it was her turn to have her makeup and styling done. They started with an extravagant long black mermaid-cut gown for Riley, while Adrian was dressed in a custom-tailored black suit. Many photos captured the couple tenderly touching Riley’s belly. Still, their overall poses exuded sophistication, as if they were attending a grand event.Next came moments
Adrian looked surprised by Riley's first choice. It took him a second to speak after they sent their names together. "Riley, I don't know what to say."Riley smiled. She said, "You loved your mother so much, I just thought you'd want to remember her this way." She chuckled and added, "I guess you do too, because you have her on your list. Obviously, I thought about you for the rest of my name suggestions.""I like Charlie Rae, though; it's a badass name for a girl," Riley remarked. Adrian smiled back. He said, "Let's see what the others have to say."Anthony was the first to respond in the chat group. He sent a heart emoji, saying: [Thank you. I did not expect that. Freya would have loved it. But ultimately, it's your choice, Riley and Adrian. Choose the name that's closer to your heart.]Abner: [I'm going to be biased and choose Freya.]Adrian: [Haha!]Renee: [I'm struggling with the names because I know how important Freya is to Adrian and Anthony, but I like how Charlie Rae combin
"Will you pass me the tissue again, Hun," Riley requested while stretching her hand toward the tissue box on the living room table. Adrian, whom Riley had leaned into, looked at her strangely before grabbing the tissue box and giving it to her. "Thank you," Riley said before wiping her tears and blowing her nose. She sniffed as she said the lines from her favorite movie, "It wasn't over for me. I waited for you for seven years. And now it's too late."Riley could feel Adrian studying her again, but he said nothing and returned his gaze to the TV screen.Four days into their vacation, it rained over the island. So, the couple decided to watch a movie. Riley chose one of her favorites, 'The Notebook'The movie progressed, and Riley continued to say the lines that were familiar to her. She softly muttered, "So, it's not gonna be easy. It's gonna be really hard. We're gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you -""Honey, how many times exactly have you
“Do you like it?” Adrian asked, using the exact words in the movie. A laugh escaped Riley’s lips. She answered, “It’s spectacular. It’s like a dream.”Riley looked around with sparkling eyes. They were in a small pond, roughly two acres, and a humble brick home was not too far from them. Other structures were nearby, too, and they appeared to be storage areas. She could also identify water pumps on one side of the lake, which meant that a water system was in place. Of course, there were other things she did not understand, like some tall metal bars from the pond’s access path. Adrian explained, “As you can see, this is an artificial freshwater pond. The family that owns the place grows catfish for a living. They let me rent their entire property today, including their wonderful home.”Riley looked back and quickly found Miguel standing by the pond’s wooden access path. Miguel was grinning and waving at them, saying, “This is what you call love, right, Mrs. King?”Miguel’s statement