At Lydia's apartment, the twins had returned from school and were in the playroom.Jack sighed as he viewed the news on his tablet. He shook his head and tutted prior to speaking, "Daddy is so dumb. He let Mommy go to someone else."Precious pouted. She looked at her brother and asked, "Is Mommy going to marry Uncle Dean? Does that mean we'll grow up without a Daddy?""Uncle Dean is not bad. He loves Mommy and since he is the one Mommy wants to marry, we just have to accept him as our Daddy," Jack told his little sister. Precious's eyes filled with tears and her lower lip quivered. She said, "But I want Uncle Frank to be my Daddy.""Precious, the man Mommy loves will be our Daddy-"No! I want the handsome Uncle. I love him despite the fact that he's dumb," Precious protested and tears flowed down her face.Jack felt sympathy for his little sister. He kneeled down and cleaned her tears, saying, "Don't cry, Precious. Such a baby. Don't worry, I saw Mommy being kissed by Daddy last night
I tightened my fists, my nails biting into my palms, and ground my teeth. I smiled at Lydia and told her, "Thanks, Miss Josephs. that's so kind of you. But Frank has been looking for the best doctor for me. I'm sure he'll schedule one for me soon. Thanks for the concern, though."Lydia nodded. She had already anticipated that I would refuse her offer, but the paleness that swept over my face when she proposed treating my legs caused Lydia's eyes to narrow in suspicion.Why had I panicked when Lydia mentioned the subject of introducing her to experts? It was also strange that Frank had not been able to secure an expert to treat me after all these years. The man could move mountains for me, so why was it taking so long to get the proper treatment for me? Could there be more to my condition than met the eye?Lydia shook her head and muttered to herself, 'Why am I thinking about this? It has nothing to do with me.'She did not wish anything to do with Frank or me anymore. Getting involved
I walked into the restaurant private room and scowled at the surprise group of people sitting at the table.I eyed my father, Miles Lanka, questioningly. "What's this, Dad? You said you wanted to meet me for lunch to discuss something. What's with the entourage?"Miles glanced at me and gestured toward the seat opposite him. He spoke, "Sit down, son. We are all here to discuss your engagement ceremony with Dera Pete."I clenched my fists and my jaw tightened as anger boiled up within me. My dad had apparently conned me into meeting with the last people on earth I wanted to meet with. Dera Pete sat next to the empty seat where I was to sit, while my stepsister and stepmother sat next to my dad.I arched an eyebrow and replied firmly, "I cannot speak of the ceremony without my grandfather." Hearing this, Miles could not help but get angry. He looked like a pressure cooker about to burst as he posed, "Son, do you show disrespect towards me because my father did not leave me the company t
A few days afterward at Josephs & Co."Miss Josephs, Mr. Lanka to see you," Hannah said through the intercom.I glared. 'Frank is here? What now?'"Did he tell what he needs?" I inquired. I didn't have an appetite to pamper Frank."He told that it is the new jewelry release party," Hannah announced.I gnashed on my lower lip. I responded, "Let him in."Because I had volunteered to help with the project, I could not turn Frank around and send him back if he was in my office to talk about work.Frank walked into my office a few minutes later and sat down opposite me. He gazed at me and his heart skipped a beat.He would always say that I looked wonderful when I worked. I wore a pale pink feminine two-piece suit and had my dark brown hair sweeping over one shoulder. "What can I help you with, Mr. Lanka?" I said, very much aware of Frank's irritated stare on me.Why was he looking at me like that?Frank blinked as he attempted to shake his head clear. He said, "I have been preparing for t
Days went by and soon it was the night before the launch party."Are you prepared for tomorrow?" Dean called Lydia on the phone.By tradition, Dean had called Lydia before she went to bed.Lydia nibbled her lower lip before she spoke, "I am a bit nervous.""Really? I did not expect you to be nervous when everyone is complimenting your work," Dean replied.Lydia exhaled deeply and said, "That is how it works for artists. We always second-guess ourselves despite how capable one is. there is always the fear about whether people would approve of what we do or not. I am certain of my work, but I just cannot help worrying about everyone's reaction towards it. Yes, I do understand that not everybody would approve of my work and that is rather natural. We all like or dislike something differently but that doesn't mean unfavorable criticism does not reach us.""You're only human, my love," replied Dean. "Your skills are first-class. Don't worry.""Yes but I simply can't help but get the jitter
"Thank you very much," Lydia replied graciously, smiling as they made their way through the crowd."Good evening, Miss L, Mr. Anderson, you two are well matched," another said as he stopped Lydia and Dean to greet them.Lydia smiled warmly while Dean replied, "Thank you, Mr. Carson. I'm the luckiest man to have Miss L as my woman and partner for tonight."He placed his hand on the back of Lydia's neck and led her to their table. As they walked, Lydia felt a burning gaze upon her. She whipped around and saw Frank standing across the room, gazing intensely at her. Frank looked smoldering in a black suit. His gorgeous dark hair was swept into a subtle quiff, adding to his appeal.Lydia saw a flicker of anger in Frank's eyes as he scowled at her. But she nodded slightly towards him in recognition and returned her attention to Dean.Meanwhile, Frank almost ground his teeth to dust when Lydia ignored him. A searing pang of jealousy shot through him. From the moment he set eyes on Lydia, he
I tried to hide my card as I saw the number, but it was already visible."We have a winner here! Miss L is the winner!" One of the women shouted with excitement.All of them, including Frank, stared at me, and I was the center of attention.The host smiled and declared, "Miss Josephs, you have to dance with Mr. Lanka since he picked your number."Frank left the stage and walked over to me. When he got to me, he held out his hand and said, "I may have pulled your number, but since I'm a gentleman, I'll ask you to dance. May I have this dance, Miss Josephs?"Gasp filled the room as women waved fans. Frank was burning up when he asked me to dance."Congratulations for winning, Miss Josephs. You are so fortunate!" someone said.I scowled to myself.Fortunate? In fact, I was cursed. Why did Frank pick my number out of all the women there in the hall? I glared at Frank and skipped a heartbeat. I couldn't help but admit that he looked good-looking. But that wasn't going to make me ignore the
I left the stage, my smile reflected in my eyes as everyone complimented my work. Yes, out of all the things that had ever been wrong for me, this was my pride.Although I had lost at love, I had won at being a mother and developing my talent. Seeing everyone so happy and so willing to spend millions of dollars because of my work made my chest swell with pride.As the crowd dispersed and mingled to eat, I searched for my best friend who had just arrived to meet us in the hall.Upon meeting my eyes, Bianca squealed and rushed towards me before hugging me. "You look gorgeous, my friend! You fit into this dress. My friend responded, "I thought I did too until I knew where the dress came from."Bianca's eyes widened and I pulled her aside where there was less commotion."Are you saying Dean got you the dress?" Bianca asked. "That is so romantic!""No. I thought it was Dean, but in fact, it was Frank," I said, furrowing my brow.Bianca gasped, her eyes wide at me. She said, "Wow! That's ne
"Nonsense!" Charles exclaimed, breathlessly. "Miles, if you can't control your wife, I will. How dare she try a stunt like this on your son's wedding day?"Miles glared at Celeste and rose from his seat. He was prepared to go to her when Dean reached the stage.He grabbed the microphone from Celeste and said, "Good evening, everyone. I didn't mean to gatecrash the wedding of the happy couple. I'm actually the secret son of Miles and Celeste Lanka and I've come home to live with my family." "Celeste. what is this? How is he my son?" Miles asked, eyes wide in shock.Celeste gazed at Miles and continued, "I did have twins. But due to the situation at that moment. your father did not want me and your children could not trust me, I feared for my son's life. I did not want to be a part of a succession struggle, so I took him abroad and that is where he grew up. I apologize I lied. but I did not want you to believe he was there to replace Frank."Frank snorted in his seat in his chair before
I reached the altar and as it was nearing the time for the vows, Frank gazed into my eyes and pledged, "I vow to stand by your side, to support your dreams and to cherish every moment that we spend with each other as if it were the last because nobody knows tomorrow. Lora Nakamura, I vow to love you a little bit every day because you are so worthy."The most expensive ballroom was booked for Frank and my wedding.Frank had promised to make it grand and he didn't disappoint.Approximately thousand people were invited and ninety percent of them were high society individuals from the entire world. The rest of the percentage comprised close relatives and close friends, as well as other media outlets who came to cover the entire event. Global celebrities were even invited to perform during the event, making the event turn out to be the most expensive wedding of the century.Everybody in the city, the country, and the globe was aware that one Frank Lanka, who is a billionaire and MD of Lank
I gasped when I saw the face of the man.I smiled and said, "I knew you were there."Frank looked confused, saying, "Wait. you knew who I was?""How can I not know my husband?" I said and Frank smiled happily.Diane stopped when she overheard what we said."What? You crashed the party?" she asked, glaring at Frank. She then looked up at the man standing in front of her, her eyes widening. "Then you're."The guy took off his helmet to show no less than Aiden Nakamura."Oh my god!!!"Diane shrieked, her cheeks flushing.Meanwhile, Adan took off his helmet and winked at Bianca. He said, "Surprise."Bianca's face turned crimson red. She had touched his abs too. What would he think of her now?"How could you guys do this to us?" Bianca protested to hide her embarrassment."That's not fair! You boys weren't supposed to be here!" exclaimed Diane, and Frank glared at her."If we hadn't come, I'm afraid that you would give your sister-in-law to another man," he replied.I chuckled and grasped
"I heard her say it was going to be a wild night," Aiden stated and twisted his wrist to glance at his watch. "The dancers should be arriving at the venue by now. I wonder. are they maybe male strippers?" Frank clenched his teeth and almost squeezed his whiskey glass to death.Meanwhile, Diane had booked a luxury suite in one of the five-star hotels for my bachelorette party.I glanced around at the space decorated with balloons, ribbons, and confetti and then turned a questioning look on Diane."Isn't this too much?""Too much? I wished I could do more but I had to restrain myself!" Diane squealed with delight. "Come on, Lora. This is your night to relax before you're hitched for life!""I'm already tied down though. legally, I'm still married to your brother," I replied with a grin. "And who are all these people?"There were a number of women in the room who were chatting and drinking champagne."Oh, just some people I invited to liven up the place," Diane replied. "You don't need t
I glanced around as the bridesmaids were fitting into their dresses and the men were fitting into their suits. The women were dressed in peach, and the men were wearing grey suits with peach bowties. "I love the dresses so much! As usual, you have a good eye for beautiful things, Lydia," said Bianca, and Diane concurred."That's right. the dresses are comfortable and not difficult to dance in. I'm dying to see your wedding dress," I said to Ruth, turning to face her."I'm the only person who gets to see the wedding dress. The rest of you can see it on the wedding day," Frank said, making Diane pout."That's not fair, bro. You guys got to see our dresses," she complained."Since it's our wedding and we need to make sure you guys look good. For the bride, I'll help her pick out the wedding dress she wants," Frank stated. The other men laughed. "I guess we are not needed here anymore," Adan said."We still need your opinion on the wedding cake. You can wait and let me try on the dresses,
Adan raised his hand to quiet the men from speaking. He grinned and spoke, "Let me talk to her."He chased Bianca until he grabbed her arm, stating, "Hey-"However, Bianca batted at his hand cruelly, spitting, "Don't touch me!"Adan was taken aback by Bianca's tantrum. 'I probably deserved that,' he thought, knowing he had messed up the last time they talked when he let his emotions get the better of him. "Why are you tripping?" Adan asked, looking into her eyes.A blaze of anger coursed through Bianca. She glared at Adan and said, "Seriously? After what happened, you think we can be like best friends?"Guilt crept over Adan when he knew what he had said to Bianca was not justified. Sighing, he uttered, "Look, I apologize, ok? I got mad that you called me filthy. I did not like it and I overreacted.""I don't care why you did it. we were never going to be friends so let's just forget about it. I won't shoot an ad with you," Bianca said stubbornly."I'm only filming it to save time, Be
My heart leaped, butterflies in my tummy running wild.Tears ran down my face as I looked at Frank's eyes. I knew he was going to ask me to marry him at any moment, but I never imagined he would ask me to marry him like that.When I was in the helicopter, looking down at what Frank had arranged, I believed that I was dreaming.The work he had put into the proposal was astronomical. I was like a princess in my own fairytale movie."Thank you, Frank. I love this surprise so much," I replied, crying.Frank smiled and wiped away my tears before saying, "I'm glad you love it, baby."The crowd later joined us to wish us and congratulate us.Charles Lanka hugged his grandson first. He playfully ruffled the back of his grandson and shouted, "What you've done right here, sonny. this is what a real man does. I'm so proud of you."Frank smiled, hugging his grandfather again. "Thanks, Grandpa," he said. "I'm happy you were always there to show me the way and remind me of how I felt about Lydia. I
The helicopter then left the rooftop and flew away. The sound of the helicopter blades whirring filled Lydia's ears as she peered out the window, taking in the endless landscape below. She was captivated by the greenery and the distant mountains, they looked so beautiful from here.Later, Jack suddenly yelled through the headphones, "Wow! Mommy, look!"Lydia gazed out of the window and breathed heavily at what she was seeing.A heart design was drawn on the floor, outlined with white and red flowers.Lydia's cry was in her throat when the heart design ended up being more visible when the helicopter flew lower to the ground.White roses were used to dramatically script the words within the heart,[Will you marry me again, Lydia Nakamura?]Days ago.Frank went to the Nakamura mansion to visit Freya Nakamura when Lydia was working."You didn't take long, huh? Thirty days on the dot," Freya said, standing with a mug in her hand, stirring tea."I've come for feedback," Frank responded asse
"Mommy, will you go on a date with us?" Jack requested Lydia over the weekend.Lydia arched an eyebrow. She was lounging in the garden, swinging and reading one of her favorite books. Frank was out on business meeting to seal a deal, so he wasn't there to keep her busy.She looked at Jack and laughed, "A date? Can you afford to go on one?""Of course!" said Jack and took out a black card. "Big Papaye gave us our weekly allowance and we'd like to spoil you."Lydia's eyes widened as she looked at the VIP card. Who gives a five-year-old an unlimited card as an allowance?Lydia sighed, reaching out to cup Jack's face. She replied, "Thank you, honey. But this is your allowance. you get whatever you want. Mommy already has money.""I know you have money, but we just want to do something special for you. please?" Jack said, batting his eyelashes.Lydia laughed, teasing Jack for being cute. She did not usually see him like this, so she gave in. "Okay. but we will not spend much. You should in