July 11, 2024. After midnight chapter. Hehe. I made it. Thanks for everyone's concern. Today's checkup was not related to my son's health problem but more to his mental development. Aside from having a lung disease, he has ASD Level 1 and ADHD. He is highly functional, but we do need to get therapies done for him to grow independent. Back to the book, the next update will be tomorrow. Kisses!
"This is a great opportunity," Clarisa Astor-Barlowe said while walking into the Plaza Hotel. "Yes, but who is this person? Why so mysterious?" William asked his wife. "He said you would be surprised! So, I will keep it a secret until we arrive at our meeting place." Clarisa put a hand on her waist and said, "Come on."They were meeting a potential buyer for Astor Drug Store. Not that they were planning to sell, but since someone expressed interest, Clarisa and William considered having a partnership or selling at a very high price. Strangely, though, Clarisa said the buyer would like to remain mysterious, at least to him. Why?Sadly, William could not get it out of his wife. So, he followed her lead into a small conference room. A man with a solemn look was waiting for them. He said, "My name is Max. The boss will be here any minute now."William and Clarisa waited anxiously. It took only five minutes before the doors to the conference room opened. A woman with blonde hair entered.
"Your husband paid for Claire's surgeries and her family's living expenses - food and rent. He also shouldered for their apartment at Court Residence recently," Adrian reported. Much information was unveiled, including how William had asked his secretary to pay off the laboratory technician at Halliport General Hospital to fake the paternity test. Adrian's men had acquired information from the laboratory technicians, comprising screenshots of their communications with William's secretary.The proof was undeniable, especially since Clarisa had William's secretary in her contact list. Half an hour had passed. Riley had helped Clarisa to her seat. Mrs. Barlowe reviewed every evidence on the table, her body shivering from the apparent betrayal. Everyone could see she was boiling in anger. Riley's heart ached for Clarisa. She sympathized, "I'm sorry we had to tell you. We did not want to intrude in your relationship, but we couldn't turn a blind eye."She explained how Claire ruined he
Brian carefully studied the breakdown of the bill. He gulped and turned to Adrian, asking, "One hundred thousand dollars to rent your McLaren Senna?"Adrian shrugged and responded, "You do realize I let a trash ride my car, not just one but two. It's going to undergo a thorough disinfecting."Out of the corner of Brian's eye, he saw Riley chuckle, but she quickly covered her mouth to hold her amusement. The succeeding bullet points were the salaries of his men. Clint, the assistant, got a whopping bonus of one hundred thousand dollars to play the part of Claire's suitor. The rest had ten thousand dollars each. Brian glanced at Clint, who stood by the door the whole time. The assistant remarked, "Mr. Martin, Claire had nearly drugged me. I deserve premium pay for risking my life."All Brian could do was take another deep breath. He returned to study the breakdown and saw how Adrian included the function room rental, gas, and paperwork. Some of it was given to Riley. After all, she had
Upon arriving at the hospital, Adrian instantly ordered Zia to attend to them in the ER. “Zia, I think Riley is pregnant. Check on her, please.”Zia’s eyes rounded. She excitedly asked questions about Riley’s menstrual cycle. After a while, Zia said, “It would be too early to do a scan. If you are pregnant, all we can see is an empty sac, but we can do a blood test. Then, return after two weeks for an official ultrasound.”“Okay,” Riley raised her arm and said, “Draw my blood, doctor.”Zia was efficient. She had the laboratory run the test and returned after twenty minutes. Then, she lazily walked towards Riley and Adrian. “Oh, nice. Slow motion,” Clint remarked on the side, his tone teasing. Zia, who had not noticed him there, ended up frowning at him, her expression a mix of annoyance and amusement. “The results,” Zia said while giving the envelope to Riley. Riley’s heart raced as she opened the results. She glanced at her husband and bit her lip before finally flipping the paper.
Earlier that day. "You deny it, yet there is proof!" Beatrice was fuming as she showed Mara the receipts of the pawned items found in their apartment. "These are two Rolex watches, matching the same description as Brian's! You stole them and pawned them! Where are the rest?""I don't know what you are talking about," Mara responded. "Those Rolex watches were gifts from my other friends, and we pawned them. They don't belong to Brian!"Mara was on her knees, being cuffed by the police in the living room of their flat. Her rights were already read when Beatrice came at her after finding the receipts for the pawned watches. "Beatrice, just because we are poor, you can accuse us of being thieves," Claire's sister, Carrie, said while crying in one corner."Police officer, I'm being set up. I am not part of the lending ring as you accused me," Mara pleaded. "This woman, Beatrice Martin, is setting me up just because she borrowed money from the loan sharks and did not want to pay!""Unfortu
"Good morning," Adrian greeted Riley the second she woke up on a Sunday. He was smiling at her, and his eyes were sparkling. "Good morning," she said back. "Are my wife and baby hungry?" Adrian asked. Riley pouted before caressing her stomach. She answered, "I think we are."Adrian rolled off the bed and said, "Let me cook breakfast.""Wait," Riley called. "Someone might see you walking."Adrian chuckled. He responded, "I gave Max, Aunt Linda, and Rose a day off. Aunt Linda could also use some time to visit her relatives. She will be gone for a few days. Only the guards have reported for work but are at the gates." He winked and added, "Grandpa will be on a firm watch."When they reached the kitchen, Adrian moved seamlessly across the cooking space, taking out bread, eggs, vegetables, and condiments. But because Riley couldn't stand watching her husband do all the work, she offered to work on the smoothie, slicing her favorite fruits.Using her phone, Riley played the song "Good Li
On a Monday evening, Adrian and Riley rested early. They had already fallen asleep when Adrian's phone suddenly rang. Adrian took the call because it was from Engineer Philips. Adrian asked, "Hello? What seems to be the matter?""Mr. King? Mr. Wright of Braeton City is having cold feet," Engineer Philips revealed. "Cold feet? How?" Adrian got up from the bed, immediately massaging his temples."We don't know, Sir. He apologized and said he is considering another company to work with," Engineer Philips answered. "No. No." Adrian instructed, "Since you are already in Braeton City, meet him first thing in the morning. He can't go wrong with us. Instead of Wednesday, I'll fly out to see him tomorrow. I'll have Clint charter a flight for me.""Tell him that if he still feels we are not the best firm for the construction after our meeting, then I will accept his decision," Adrian expressed. "Got it, Sir," Engineer Philips agreed. Adrian called Clint to arrange his flight. When he was do
"How is it that you can bring down the construction cost this much? Are you going cheap on materials, Mr. King?" Kyle asked while scrutinizing the project cost proposal. "Never! I recently acquired a metal production business and partnered with a lumber and cement company. Technically, I am getting many of the materials directly from suppliers," Adrian explained. "This is what mainly brings down the cost.""As for workers, we usually create temporary housing within the site. It initially comes out as a big investment, but long-term wise; we save on transportation, hotel expenses, and stolen construction materials," Adrian explained. "Stolen construction materials?" Kyle asked, crossing his arms against his chest. "Even with security guards present, thieves get in and steal construction materials. If construction workers are housed on-site, we have more eyes around," Adrian explained. "Lastly, aside from construction equipment, I invest in innovative project management. I hire the be