The morning after the night of the interception, the grand living room of Cooper’s mansion was filled to the brim with people.The entire family was present, from Grandmother Allesandra to Lucas and Mirabel in their handcuffs, then his dad, Dante, and even James and Emily were around. They had flown in the previous night; others who were also around were the police officials led in by Eric. Everyone had all shown up for the critical meeting after the emergency message from Grandma and Dante, and they face a crude mix of shock, anger, and sorrow.Grandma had insisted yesterday that they be kept in the house until morning so that this meeting could hold.Earlier that day, Detective Eric, Dante, and a team of officers stormed the mansion after Dante reached out to his grandmother. The plan had been executed flawlessly.The gates were shut off and immediately surrounded by policemen. Lucas and Mirabel had been locked up in the room, their faces frozen in shock and apprehension as they tri
Lyra was lying in the closed space that was her hospital room. By her side were flowers and get-well-soon cards from her staff and members of Dante’s family; the largest were from James and Emily, who had come to see her yesterday, their faces tender and affectionate.Now, though, the room was quiet, except for the soft hum of medical equipment.Lyra lay in the hospital bed, her eyelids moving up and down slowly.She looked around weakly, taking in the sight of the flowers and cards. The pain was still there, but it was duller now, less sharp than before. Dante sat by her side, his eyes filled with concern and love."Hey," Lyra whispered, her voice weak but steady.Dante leaned closer, a smile spreading across his face. "You're doing great, my love. One step at a time."Lyra's eyes filled with tears."James told me... I couldn't have done this without you." She managed to say her eyes were meek and full of meaning.Dante squeezed her hand gently. "We're in this together, Lyra. Alway
It was about two days after Lyra had been discharged from the hospital.But instead of returning to the old apartment building, Dante surprised her by driving straight to the towering mansion located inside a secured estate at the heart of town. It was their new home, which he had bought during her time at the hospital.That evening, she had hugged and kissed him so passionately that it filled him with a renewed sense of hope.On this morning, the atmosphere was calm and serene, a contrast to the chaos of the past few days.The room was a testament to their fresh start: moderate yet cozy, decorated with personal touches that told their story.Dante stood by the kitchen counter, carefully arranging a vase of fresh flowers.Lyra entered the room, her steps light and tentative. She was getting used to walking like a baby all over again after being bedridden for close to two weeks.She smiled at Dante, feeling an overwhelming surge of gratitude.“We’ve been through the worst, babe,” Dante
It was past 7 pm, and the sun had since disappeared from the sky.The gala party had begun to unfold slowly. The low murmur from the well-dressed attendees persisted. And once in a while, the laughter of an amused guest punctures the air in the decorated hall. Waiters in black and white aprons bore different trays on their hands, holding their heads high.Lyra Daniel was one of these waiters. However, unlike the others, the smile on her face was forced and plastic. She walked from one seat to the next nervously, serving the guests around. And sometimes, when they tried to call her attention to something, they would have to repeat themselves more than twice before Lyra would grasp. "Are you deaf? young woman?" One of them even asked. "I'm so sorry sir, pardon me, it's the music. Too loud." She pleaded, smiling sheepishly.“Oh my God, can you see that? where on earth did Mr. Douglass, pick this Lyra lady from? She's so crude.” One of the younger waitresses whispered to her coll
Lyra literally jumped out of the taxi the moment the driver she hailed earlier parked in front of the hospital gate. She flung his payment at him in a rush, waving and blurting the word “sorry” at the same time as she was running. The driver himself looked momentarily flustered by her craziness but later shook his head indulgently before driving off. On getting to the second floor of the building where her husband’s ward was.Lyra pushed at the door forcefully and ran in, making the cleaner and the two nurses she met there flinch slightly at the sight of her. Felix was lying on the bed with his nose strapped up in an oxygen mask while being connected to some sort of machine. Lyra stopped to stare at her husband with a weepy expression, whispering, “Felix. Oh Felix,” “Calm down, madam.” One of the nurses said.The doctor walked in through the opened door the next moment. “Doc,” Lyra immediately turned to him with her reddened eyes and held out hands. He stopped too
Lyra woke up next to Felix in the morning. Her bones and joints felt stiff, and her eyes were bloodshot due to the lack of sleep the previous night. The movement of Felix's arm made her turn abruptly to face him. His eyes were open now. Which gave her some form of relief. Even his oxygen mask was off. Perhaps the doctors had come in the night "Felix." She whispered with a low concerned voice. He stared at her with frail eyes but seemed too tired to talk, so she reached for the cupboard and grabbed a bottle of water, helping him sit up a little before guiding the bottle to his mouth.After he had his fill, she felt encouraged to go out again and continue her search for the surgery money before his condition started to deteriorate again. She got up slowly. "Felix, I will go and call one of the nurses to look after you. I need to run along now to put one or two things together for your upcoming surgery."But before she could leave, Felix had muttered her name softly and tiredly."
"I don't want to die, I want to live long by your side. I want to carry our children and have a perfect family." Felix mumbled softly on the bed with the paper still in his hand.Lyra closed her eyes as she listened to him because his words were yet again re-echoing the deep wishes of her heart. The same thing that drove her to take such a drastic move in the first place."I desire that too, Felix." She whispered from where she stood, gazing straight at him so he could see the sincerity in her eyes. "Trust me, I do. And I know we will surely get the money they are asking for. I won't let you die."Felix nodded weakly on the bed. But then, after a second, he slowly brought the paper to his face again. "This contract, I think it's not that bad. It's just two years. It's God giving us a chance." He remarked, fixing his eyes on the first page.Lyra inhaled and shook her head in calm disagreement."Two years is a lot, Felix. I can't live without you for that long."Felix coughed, a
Dante held Lyra's hand woodenly as they began to approach the registry. Lyra felt stiff and awkward, her face staring straight ahead and trying not to steal any glance at the flamboyant-looking stranger beside her, the same man who would now be acting as her husband for the next two years and legitimately so. The only thing that bore witness to the fact that there was someone beside her was the fragrant scent of his masculine perfume that kept tickling her nostrils. She inhaled and exhaled quietly as they moved uniformly and at the same pace. Dante, on the other hand, was a lot more confident. He flashed a broad smile and seized the opportunity presented by Lyra's stiffness to steal as many glances of her face as he could, from the corner of his eyes. She was gorgeous, but she was looking too self-conscious. She needed to “Sell the story.” he thought. He leaned towards her to whisper in the loving way he saw husbands on similar occasions due to their wives. "Put on a little