"You need to go to the memorial."He must be insane. There's no way I'm going to the memorial. I'm going to the hospital to stay by my grandma's side where I belong."I need to go to the hospital," I tell him."No, you don't. I'll look after your grandma but you need to go to the memorial," he says. "I know it's not what you want to hear but we need to do what your grandma would want.""What grandma would want?"I don't understand why it matters. We all know my grandma is a complete workaholic. No one would blame me for going to the hospital when my grandma is sick - only my grandma."If people hear that she's sick..." he begins but I don't hear anything after the word sick. I need to know what is wrong with my grandma, not go to the memorial."I'm going to the hospital," I say firmly. "We're wasting time."He doesn't disagree with me this time, giving in."I'll drive you there.""Thank you," I tell him as we lock grandma's front door behind us. The sound of the ambulance's s
Noah's POV:Where is she? She should be here by now... Not only is Eden not here, but neither is Mrs Clancy or Martin. They should all be waiting in the wings because the memorial is about to begin. Literally, there are only minutes left. There's an excited buzz around the hall as everyone waits eagerly to see what is beneath the black cloth on the stage. People are wandering about talking among themselves while others take their seats to wait.Looking around, I'm pleased with the results of our hard work. The team have been working around the clock to get everything ready in time. There are photographs of a young Eden with her parents, others of Mrs Clancy with them, and some of Eden and her father working on the doll's houses together up on stands all around the room. People are crowded around them, speculating whether we'll finally get to see the illusive Clancy granddaughter.Some people have asked me about her, if I've ever met her. It's surprising how much people are intereste
Eden's POV:I walk into the hall, searching for Noah. The hall is full of people, mostly looking impatient, but I can't find Noah anywhere. I could really use just being able to look at him for a moment. I need to pull myself together so that I can actually get through this memorial without my grandmother beside me.No one has noticed me or if they have, they pay me no attention at all. It's refreshing. I like the feeling of anonymity that I have as Eden Winters but the second I climb on that stage all that will disappear. Even with everything else that has happened today, I still find a second to resent that. I don't really want to give it up. I don't want everything to change but it will."Oh! Eden! You're here!"I'm drawn out of my thoughts by Sally, my HR rep and perhaps the only person in the company who knows who I am, except grandma and Martin... And maybe whoever sent me that email today. The thought of that email brings a frown to my face. They certainly picked their momen
I really didn't have time to prepare for this and so I have no idea what sort of crap is coming out of my mouth right about now. Seriously, I'm practically talking gibberish. Everyone else seems to be following along though so I guess I'm not doing too bad. Either that or they are just too polite to show their boredom on their faces."When we first started the Clancy houses," I say probably a little too quickly, "I really wasn't interested. There were about a million things I'd have rather been doing but my dad was insistent. By the end of that first summer, I was obsessed with my new doll's house and all the amazing furniture my dad had made for it, so when he suggested we do it again the next year, I was all for it."They're all awing as if I've said the cutest thing and I'm not actually an adult but a little kid all over again."Summer quickly became my favourite time of year," I tell them. "I'd eagerly wait for my dad to take me looking for a new house to work on. We'd just pick
Noah's POV:This is so frustrating. I should be in the hall with all the others, giving Eden my support. Glancing at my watch, I realise that the event will be well underway by now. The last thing I want to be doing right now is having some sort of secret meeting with one of the few people at Clancy's that I outright dislike."What do you want?" I ask when James Artie makes his way towards me.He looks around us before speaking as if he thinks we're in some sort of a spy movie or something, making me like him even less."Hurry the hell up," I growl. Eden is waiting for me... well, not literally but I want to be there for her. Not to mention, I really don't trust James Artie. He's probably even more crooked than his dodgy nephew, Lewis. "What is this all about?""Alright..." he starts gruffly. "I emailed Eden today.""And?" I don't understand what he's talking about. Why would he email my assistant? Unless he knows who Eden actually is..."And I just thought she should know the t
Eden's POV:As Sally continues to introduce me to various investors and business contacts that my grandma has been gathering for decades, my eyes keep wandering to where Noah is standing waiting for me.He's probably furious. He looks furious.How am I going to explain this whole thing to him in a way that will make him understand. I could easily distract him with the situation with grandma or this whole mess with Martin but I don't want to do that. I want him to know the truth. I want him to understand why I came to work at Clancy's. Not just why grandma wanted me to work for the company but why I chose to come.But that means finding time to explain when all this is going on. I don't really know if that's possible.When I'm not worrying about what Noah is thinking, I'm checking my phone to see if Martin has sent news. I wish this thing was over already so I could rush over to the d*mn hospital. That's where I should be, right next to my grandmother.The whole thing just keeps g
Noah's POV:I feel sort of useless. Eden is crying as she sits next to her grandma's hospital bed. I'm eyeing Martin suspiciously. If what James said is true and Martin killed Eden's parents, he really has some gall being here at all. It's hard to imagine a person being so unfeeling that they could live in such close quarters with the family of the people they killed. And what's even more bizarre, is Eden's reaction. James said that he sent Eden an email about it. I can't believe she's letting Martin anywhere near her grandmother.I have a strange protective urge to throw him out of the hospital room myself. I just can't understand how Eden can just sit here with him. Then again, she's got a lot to be distracted by.The doctor has just been in to check on Mrs Clancy and it would seem like she has been keeping some secrets of her own. This family seems to be all about their secrets."She was sick?" Eden asks, her voice quiet and slightly disconnected, like she's somewhere else.N
Eden's POV:"Eden," Noah whispers, shaking me slightly.I hadn't realised that I'd fallen asleep, my head resting on my grandma's hospital bed while I hold her hand desperately tight."You need to rest," he tells me. "Let me take you home?""I don't want to..." I begin, my voice drifting away. "I won't leave her."Martin is sitting on the opposite side of the bed, a sad look on his face."Eden, I can call you if anything happens," he offers but I shake my head."No," I insist. "You guys can go, but I'm not leaving.""I'm staying with you," Noah says sternly. He's got a strange look on his face like he wants to say something but is holding it back, probably because he's worried about me."At least, let me get you something to eat," Martin says, getting to his feet."I'm not really hungry," I say with a yawn.I don't even know what time it is. Am I supposed to be hungry right now? Looking down at my watch, I'm surprised to find it's close to midnight. I don't even know how Mar