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Jason lowered his eyes to hide his pain. He gulped, trying to swallow the lump that was stuck in his throat. Ever since he met Lora, he thought she was the one for him. He thought he could finally have someone by his side. Jason had lived a lonely life abroad. He could count on one hand the number of times his mother went to see him as a child. He was usually alone on his birthdays and had no one to celebrate special holidays with. It was like he was an orphan when both his parents were alive. Whenever he asked his mother when he could come home, she always told him it wasn't the right time. "Your father's other family won't be happy if you come now. Be good and stay where you are," she would say. In the end, Jason grew up alone. He thought he was used to being alone until he met Lora and her children. She made him realise that he wanted a family of his own. However, it seemed his dream to be with Lora would never come true. Seeing the way she stayed by Ryan's side despite his
“Daddy, are we there yet?” Ella asked, looking out the window at the tall trees surrounding them. It was days later and the family had gone on a family trip. They first travelled by air to an island and then, they got in a car and Ryan was driving them to a place where they would get on a boat to arrive at their destination. Ryan chuckled after Ella asked for the umpteenth time. He looked at her through the rearview mirror and said, “We will be there soon, Princess.”“Yay! I can’t wait!” Ella remarked and pointed at something outside the window, “Look, Ethan, I just saw a monkey!” “That’s not a monkey, silly. It’s a honey bear,” Ethan corrected his sister. Ella’s eyes widened. She pressed her face against the window and replied, “Really? It’s so cute” Ryan chuckled, glancing at Lora in the passenger seat. “It’s nice to see the kids so happy and carefree.”Lora smiled softly, reaching for Ryan’s hand and squeezing it before saying, “That’s because we are all together as a family.”
“Don’t worry, Daddy. I’ll always protect them,” Ethan promised. “That’s good…” Ryan replied, a proud smile on his face. They continued to fish and chat. Ethan kept trying to catch a fish but it was still a bit hard for the young boy. However, just like Ryan said, Ethan was patient enough to keep trying despite failing to catch any fish. Suddenly, an elderly man got on the dock with a bucket and a fishing rod. He looked at the father and son, saying, “I hope you didn’t finish all the fish in the river.” Ryan glanced at the man and chuckled. He smiled and replied, “Don’t worry, we’ve left plenty for you to catch.” “I see that you brought your family on a trip… I’m staying in the suite next to you,” the man said before setting up his rod and throwing it into the river. He sighed heavily and remarked, “I wasted my life searching for money and now, I’m alone in my old age. I have the money but no family to spend it with.” “You can still have a family,” Ethan said, looking at the ol
“Congratulations, you're pregnant!” Larisa seemed a little absent-minded tonight... all she could think about was what the doctor had said to her that afternoon. "What are you thinking about?” Ryan asked as he unbuttoned his shirt. Looking at Ryan's sexy chest, Larisa blushed. They had been married for three years, but every time she saw Ryan's nakedness, Larisa couldn’t help but be shy. Without waiting for Larisa's answer, Ryan turned and went to take a shower. When she heard the shower go on, Larisa opened the drawer and pulled out a pregnancy test report.In the afternoon, she had gone to the hospital because she was unwell. She thought it was an ordinary stomach ache, but the doctor told her that she was pregnant. Finally, after three years of trying, she was finally going to have a baby!She beamed and held the report to her chest as she waited for her husband to finish his shower.They had been married for three years, however, their marriage remained a secret to the outsi
In the morning, Larisa got up and went to the company on time although she didn't sleep all night."Have you seen the news? Ivy Williams has returned!" Tatiana Jenkins, one of the employees at the Kingsley group, remarked.She was talking to her friend while they waited to get into the elevator. Behind them, Larisa kept quiet as they continued to talk about her as though she was invisible.“You mean that jewelry designer?" The other colleague, Judy Brooks, asked."Yeah, she's not just an ordinary jewelry designer, she's also the only girlfriend our boss has ever admitted to dating in public. I heard she's his first love.""Wow, but isn't it rumored that our boss and Larisa have some-?"“Of course, not! She was just a mistress!” “Haha! What a failure. She thought sleeping her way to the top would make the boss fall in love with her. Now that the woman that he loves has returned, I’m sure she’s not only going to lose her position as the mistress, she’s also going to lose her job.”Lari
“What the hell is going on?” Ryan asked Ivy after the doctor attended to her. Guilt crept into him as he looked at the bandage on her forehead. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why Larisa has changed. She used to be so kind.” When he went to the parking lot, he thought he saw Larisa pulling Ivy out of the wheelchair. He got so nervous that Ivy would get hurt. After all, she hurt her legs because of him. He wouldn’t want her to get hurt because his wife got jealous. “I hope you can forgive her. She usually doesn’t get worked up,” Ryan added. They were in a VIP hospital room with Ivy lying on the small hospital bed since they had left her wheelchair. Ivy smiled and grabbed Ryan’s hand, saying, “Hey, don’t get it wrong. This is not Larisa’s fault. I fell on my own… it seems my wheelchair has some problems.” Ryan’s eyes widened slightly. He asked, “Are you saying Larisa didn’t push you?”Ivy shook her head, biting her lower lip. She replied, “No, she didn’t push me. Please don’t blame her f
A divorce?Ryan couldn’t believe his ears. That wasn’t a word he was expecting to hear coming out of Larisa’s mouth. He took a look at the documents in his hands and sure enough, they were divorce papers and Larisa’s resignation letter. He glared at Larisa and questioned, “Are you throwing a tantrum because of what happened earlier today? Is that why you’re giving me these documents?”Larisa shook her head and replied, “It’s not that. I’ve been wanting to have a divorce for a long time now. Now that Ivy is back, you can freely be with the woman you love.”Ryan scoffed. He tore the documents in half, making Larisa gasp. “Why did you do that? You don’t love me, why won’t you divorce me?” She yelled. There was a desperation in her voice that even she was aware of. Her heart was racing and aching at the same time.This was because, in their three years of marriage, Ryan never loved her. He had never opened up to her or showed her any affection.Larisa was madly in love with him and t
Larisa woke up and found herself tied to a chair. It looked like she was in an abandoned warehouse. She recalled having been hit by a sharp object before she lost consciousness. Could she have been kidnapped?Immediately, fear crept into her. She yelled, “Where am I? Help! Help me!”“Larisa, calm down. Shouting won’t help… trust me, I tried,” A familiar voice reached Larisa’s ears. She turned her head to the right and found Ivy tied to a chair just like her. Her eyes widened in horror. “What’s going on here? Why have we both been kidnapped?” Larisa asked, her heart racing wildly in her chest. In her heart, she was worried about the safety of the baby she was carrying in her womb. If anything bad happened to her, she could lose her child. “Good question,” a man’s voice echoed in the warehouse. Larisa turned to the source of the voice and her heart raced when she saw four thugs approaching them. One of the thugs who looked like the leader stepped forward. He had a bald head and
“Don’t worry, Daddy. I’ll always protect them,” Ethan promised. “That’s good…” Ryan replied, a proud smile on his face. They continued to fish and chat. Ethan kept trying to catch a fish but it was still a bit hard for the young boy. However, just like Ryan said, Ethan was patient enough to keep trying despite failing to catch any fish. Suddenly, an elderly man got on the dock with a bucket and a fishing rod. He looked at the father and son, saying, “I hope you didn’t finish all the fish in the river.” Ryan glanced at the man and chuckled. He smiled and replied, “Don’t worry, we’ve left plenty for you to catch.” “I see that you brought your family on a trip… I’m staying in the suite next to you,” the man said before setting up his rod and throwing it into the river. He sighed heavily and remarked, “I wasted my life searching for money and now, I’m alone in my old age. I have the money but no family to spend it with.” “You can still have a family,” Ethan said, looking at the ol
“Daddy, are we there yet?” Ella asked, looking out the window at the tall trees surrounding them. It was days later and the family had gone on a family trip. They first travelled by air to an island and then, they got in a car and Ryan was driving them to a place where they would get on a boat to arrive at their destination. Ryan chuckled after Ella asked for the umpteenth time. He looked at her through the rearview mirror and said, “We will be there soon, Princess.”“Yay! I can’t wait!” Ella remarked and pointed at something outside the window, “Look, Ethan, I just saw a monkey!” “That’s not a monkey, silly. It’s a honey bear,” Ethan corrected his sister. Ella’s eyes widened. She pressed her face against the window and replied, “Really? It’s so cute” Ryan chuckled, glancing at Lora in the passenger seat. “It’s nice to see the kids so happy and carefree.”Lora smiled softly, reaching for Ryan’s hand and squeezing it before saying, “That’s because we are all together as a family.”
Jason lowered his eyes to hide his pain. He gulped, trying to swallow the lump that was stuck in his throat. Ever since he met Lora, he thought she was the one for him. He thought he could finally have someone by his side. Jason had lived a lonely life abroad. He could count on one hand the number of times his mother went to see him as a child. He was usually alone on his birthdays and had no one to celebrate special holidays with. It was like he was an orphan when both his parents were alive. Whenever he asked his mother when he could come home, she always told him it wasn't the right time. "Your father's other family won't be happy if you come now. Be good and stay where you are," she would say. In the end, Jason grew up alone. He thought he was used to being alone until he met Lora and her children. She made him realise that he wanted a family of his own. However, it seemed his dream to be with Lora would never come true. Seeing the way she stayed by Ryan's side despite his
##Flashback to weeks ago##Aiden didn’t want his brother to know that he was travelling back, so he didn’t use his family’s private jet. Instead, he boarded one of the airlines that was available that day. The seats in first class were decent, but not as good as the Davis family’s private jet. He sat comfortably in the reclining plush leather seat, absorbed in his handheld gaming console when suddenly, a huge bag struck him, jerking him forward. “What the–”Aiden turned and found a lady trying to wedge her oversized bag into the overhead compartment. Her long dark silky hair flowed beautifully on her back and she was dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a black blouse and black sneakers. He frowned when he noticed her wrangling with the bag but he didn’t have time to offer help since his game had just gotten good. Aiden returned his attention to his game, ignoring the lady entirely. Meanwhile, Diane grunted softly, pushing with all her might. ‘How come these compartments felt so smal
Ryan and Lora arrived at their mansion, excited to tell their children the news. “Mommy, Daddy, you’re back!” As usual, the twins rushed to their parents for a hug. “We have some good news to share with you,” Ryan said as he picked up Ella who wrapped her arms around his neck. “Really? What’s the good news?” Ella excitedly asked. “Are we going on a vacation?” Ryan chuckled as he held Ethan’s hand with his free hand and led him to the living room before settling on the couch with the twins flanking his sides. Lora followed and sat on the other side of Ethan. She reached over and booped Ella’s nose, saying, “No silly.”A thought occurred to Ryan and he looked down at the twins and asked, “Do you want to go on a vacation with Mommy and Daddy?”“Yes! We want to… you went the two of you last time. So this time, we should go as a family,” Ella replied and Ryan nodded. “No problem. We can go on a trip this weekend,” he promised. He didn’t know the future. But what he was sure of was the
Doctor Steve paused, hesitating. He looked at Ryan and Lora before asking, “Should I tell you the news here or you want to hear it in private?”Lora and Ryan shared a look and when Lora gave him a small nod in acknowledgement, Ryan glanced at the doctor and said, “Like Dad said, we are family. You can say the news in front of everyone.”“What’s the good news, Doctor?” Charles asked. His lips suddenly curled into a grin. “Is it what I think it is?”All eyes were glued to the doctor as they waited for the news.Doctor Steve cleared his throat and announced, “Mrs Kingsley, you are pregnant. Congratulations!”Dead silence fell upon the place for a few seconds before Charles exclaimed, “Yes! Another great-grandchild! Well done, Ryan!”Ryan hugged Lora, his heart thundering in his chest as he stated, “Lora... this is wonderful news! I love you so much!”The rest of the family showed their excitement and congratulated the couple. When they were done, Ryan looked at Lora whose eyes were blurre
Later in the evening at the Kingsley mansion. Miles narrowed his eyes at Celeste as she walked into their room. It had been a long day of trying to convince the shareholders that the company wasn’t going to go bankrupt after the news of Ryan’s illness was exposed. Although he and Charles had a hard time, they still managed to convince the board for the time being. However, the stock price kept dropping with some of their partners pulling out of the deal, worrying about the future of the projects if the leader of the group wasn’t going to live long. “Why did you do that? Did you think Jason would become CEO if you exposed Ryan’s illness?” Miles questioned, anger flickering through his eyes. Celeste’s smile froze, “Miles, honey, what do you mean?”“Drop the act, Celeste,” Miles snapped. “Have you been pretending to be nice all this time? How dare you expose our family secret like that knowing what impact it would have on the company? How dare you use my son’s illness to get what yo
Celeste Anderson Kingsley hid a smirk as cameras flashed before her taking pictures and videos of her. It was the myelodysplastic syndromes world awareness day and she volunteered to be interviewed as a parent whose son was suffering from the rare disease. The host glanced at her and remarked, “Mrs Kingsley, I must applaud you for doing this. I’m sure it’s not easy.” Celeste wiped a fake tear from the corner of her eyes and sniffed before saying, “It’s not easy to come out in the open and talk about this. However, today, I want to use my family’s story to encourage someone who’s going through the same situation.”The host nodded. She glanced down at her script and asked, “So, you mentioned your son has cancer and has only a few months left to live, which one among your two sons has this illness and how are you coping as a family?”Celeste glanced at the camera, the look on her face sad as she announced, “It’s with deep sadness that I announce that Ryan Kingsley, the current CEO of t
Miles Kingsley gulped and buried his face in his hands as he struggled to suppress his frustration and guilt. He reflected on how he had lived his life so far. How did he end up being distant from his son? When Ryan’s mother was alive, they used to live as one happy family. Ryan was free and always talked to him about anything. What led to them being this far apart and yet, they were father and son?After hearing the news of Ryan’s illness, Miles regretted a lot of things. He should have spent more time with Ryan. Even when he become rebellious, he shouldn’t have ignored him thinking he was just being a spoilt brat. Perhaps if he did that, Ryan would have felt safe to tell him about his diagnosis. “I'm so sorry, Ryan,” Miles said, his voice hoarse as tears streamed down his cheeks. “You must have hated me all this while. Instead of being your father, I spent the rest of the time finding faults in you.” Ryan’s heart clenched when he saw how his father reacted to the news. He sai