Anthony was on a closed mission, and Tristen was on training. Neither were aware of the changes in their family.Tom and Rita were surprised.They wanted to maintain the same rapport with William and cultivate a good relationship with Asteria.After discussing themselves for a while, they realized there was no reason they could not do both.They invited Asteria over and stopped overthinking things.The most troubled of them, however, were the people who were not directly affected by the switch.The Daynes were all having a terrible time.They all knew Eliyana personally as she was Elisa’s mother, and they always had a close relationship.Eliyana had been traveling the world in the last few years.She was out of touch but still an integral part of their lives.They knew she would not let it go and never acknowledged William and Rosaline’s relationship.The younger generations thought having a common ancestor five generations back was not a big deal.They would have avoided it if it was
A few weeks later, Jack and Leena shared the good news. They had fixed their wedding date.It wasn’t a surprise to anyone as they had been dating for years, and everyone knew they would eventually get married. Leena wanted a destination wedding, and Rosaline promptly recommended her Villa.It would save them a lot of money and make things quite convenient as if it was their own, so they could adjust as required and make some slight renovations to accommodate all the guests.Leena’s family wanted to pay some compensation to Rosaline, who merely scowled at them.“Aunty, please don’t say things like that. It makes me feel like a stranger. Jack and Leena are my best friends. They would do the same for me.”Jack’s father chuckled to ease the atmosphere.“Ah, finally, raising and spoiling this silly girl has paid off.”Rosaline teased in return.“Uncle, you are ruining my credibility. Acting coquettish works for everyone. You are the only exception.”Before Jack’s father could reply, Will
William was holding her in his arms while reading a contract when Rosaline woke up in the morning.It looked like the same contract he had been reading the night before.“What is this? You seem to be reading this repeatedly.” Rosaline asked with her eyes still closed as she snuggled closer to him.“This came from Scott Group, a co-operation of sorts with, I believe, the intent to merge later on. Very beneficial to AR Group. Read it after breakfast.” William surmised.“And you are conflicted,” Rosaline asked. Even with her eyes closed and sleep lingering on her head, she could tell his emotions.“Hmm. I would not be if I didn’t know Daniel was my biological father. All the points are in our favor. But.” William confided in her. “Then call him. Ask him if he is available on the weekend. Visit them. They are your biological parents, after all. And explain in person that you are not ready yet.”“You will think about cooperation and merger after AR Group goes public.”“Trust me! He won’t
The weekend was cramped for all the parties. Tessa and Rosaline flew to T city to show her Villa to Leena’s family.They had to start the wedding preparations and renovations or book a new venue if it did not work out. Albert had to run over to Apex city with Felix as a piece of land they were vying for was said to be in the market as per their reliable sources. William flew to Z city to meet his biological parents.Asteria, on the other hand, flew to Apex city. Anthony was back from his mission.He was beyond shocked by the revelations.He immediately took a day off to meet Asteria and to clarify things in person. Asteria was in the Brown family mansion and was waiting with bated breath to see her biological father for the first time. Anthony was stunned as soon as he laid eyes on the young woman who looked very much like his wife, although she had his eyes.Anabella did not know how to introduce them, so she only awkwardly said, “Anthony, this is Asteria. Ash, this is your fa
Anthony was surprised to hear Asteria’s words.Liam had only told them he got a post-grad degree. He had also never mentioned his freelancing work.But he was not surprised for long.Liam had always had a high IQ and was laser-focused.He had been disappointed to see Liam had no interest in the Army. Otherwise, he would have made a valuable asset. Asteria continued - I had a crush on him, but he treated me like air, even though I was Danial Scott’s daughter. Then, mom told me he might pay attention to me if I became successful in his related field.She said a decent person would like me for me and not for my family’s money or connections. I went to study Interior Design to match careers.It was difficult, but I completed grad school and post-grad in 5 years.By then, he was working in his own company.I asked Dad to help me get in, but he refused. Later I got an offer to be his assistant.At that time, I had no idea that Dad had made a deal with him in exchange for information on R
William arrived in Z city, drove to the outskirts, and stopped in front of a gorgeous 18th-century Villa. He showed his ID card at the gate, and they saluted him respectfully before allowing him in.He guessed his biological parents had briefed the guards. After a five minutes drive, he stopped by the main Mansion.A butler and a valet were waiting for him.He nodded at them politely despite being uncomfortable at being called - Young Master.Others had called him so before. But in the Brown family Mansion, Anthony had dispersed the name calling like that.He was led inside by the butler to the living room, where Danial and Isabella were waiting for him.He greeted them politely as he wasn’t sure how to address them.Danial seemed just as uncomfortable.Isabella was the one who broke the ice. “Come, William, sit here,” Isabella said, pointing at the seat opposite them.“Thank you.” William said, “please call me Will or Liam.”“I heard your family calls you Liam. Do you mind if we c
They had a lively dinner while sharing tidbits about both families.Danial and Isabella both wanted to meet Anthony.William arranged a video call between them where they both planned to meet soon and swapped contacts. In the study, William finally broached the subject of his visit.“I am sorry, father. It’s not the right time for me to cooperate with you. I would have jumped the gun at the generous offer without loopholes. But now, even with a fair contract, I would rather not. At least not now.”Danial had expected it, but he still felt a little sad.“What do you have in mind?” He finally asked.“AR group has a lot of projects in the pipeline. After our major project in Apex city, we will most likely go public. After that, we can collaborate.” William reasoned.Danial pondered for a while and thought it was indeed a good idea. “How long do you think it will take?” “Five years at most if nothing goes wrong,” William said.Danial was not very happy with the timeline, “You will need
Finally, it was the day of Jack and Leena’s wedding. Being a destination wedding, it was immediate family and closest friends only.The wedding happened on the beach during sunset with the gorgeous view of the sun setting on the beach.Everything had been colored in golden and white, matching the sunset colors.It looked breathtaking.They had created an elevated platform in the garden and laid out a buffet.Leena looked otherworldly beautiful in her custom-designed gown.She looked ethereal with natural makeup to accentuate her features in an updo bun with loose fringes on the sides and a tiara on her head to keep the veil in place.Jack was in a navy blue tuxedo which matched in color with the flowers hand-embroidered on the lining of Leena’s veil.The photographer was the only outsider present.The decorators had completed the task and left.They were to swing by the buffet later and take away the decorations. All the youngsters worked together to hold a long drape covering Leena