Melanie pulled Barbara to sit with her on the edge of the bed. "We have to win your brother's sympathy. Now that I think about it, he has been blinded by those lowly people. We won't be able to shift their position openly." "Then what should we do? I don't want to pretend to be nice to them. That's not my style." Melanie patted the back of Barbara's hand. "Just ignore them. If you can't do anything good, just be neutral. Don't bother or mention anything about them." Barbara frowned. "That's even more difficult." "Just focus on winning your brother's heart. Don't think about anything else." "How do we do it? You don't even remember his allergy. We need to know the enemy before challenging him," Barbara said sarcastically. Melanie took a deep breath, controlling her emotions. "I haven't had anything to do with Frank for a long time. Isn't it natural that I forgot about his allergy? My focus has only been on you, Darling." Gradually, the wrinkles on Barbara's face faded. After her
"Hello, my daughter-in-law." As Melanie walked over, Kara smiled. Her head nodded awkwardly. "Hello ..., Mom." Kara's tongue tasted bitter. When Melanie arrived in front of her, she almost stepped back. Her mother-in-law's gaze was like a murderer. "Sorry I didn't attend your wedding. I didn't get any news at that time." Melanie raised an eyebrow. The curve of Kara's lips froze. After a moment of silence, she nodded. "It's okay, Mom. It was our fault that we missed you from the invitation list." Melanie's cheeks twitched slightly. She didn't expect her daughter-in-law to dare answer like that. "I've always wondered what it would be like to chat with my daughter-in-law. Do you have time? How about we chat outside?" The invitation sounded like a challenge. Kara accepted it with a small nod even though her heart was pounding violently. Arriving at the upper balcony, the two of them sat flanking a table. "Would you like something to drink, Mom? Tea, perhaps?" Kara took out her cel
"What if you meet a woman prettier than me? Sexier? Smarter? More powerful? More everything?" Kara raised an eyebrow. Frank shook his head firmly. "That's impossible, Kara. Even if there were, I would still consider her as lower than you. You are always my number one." Without realizing it, Kara's lips trembled. Compassion had welled up in her chest. Before Frank caught it, she tightened her embrace again. "Thanks, Frank," she whispered. "I'm the one who should be thanking you." Frank put his nose on Kara's shoulder, inhaling the scent he loved the most. In a blink of an eye, his blood rushed to his groin. "Kara, how about we go to the bedroom now?" Feeling something pressing against her, Kara sighed in disbelief. "You're lucky Louis is still playing in the back yard." "Yeah, that's why we should hurry. Don't let anyone see and accuse me of needing to pee again." Kara laughed even harder. Letting Frank take her hand, she ran along. She had forgotten about her mother-in-law wh
Barbara gasped in disbelief. "A-are you threatening me?" Philip shook his head briefly. “No, I’m just giving a warning. Next time, no one is allowed to change anything in this house without my knowledge. Even Mrs. Kara would have to tell me first before adding a vase, let alone you, a newcomer." Barbara clenched her fists. Her eyes were red with anger. However, Philip was not afraid. Instead, he gave her an innocent smile. “Now, if you want to stay here in peace, behave yourself. I will call you Young Lady when you are fit in.” Barbara's breath became louder. In her entire life, no one had ever insulted her like that. “I will report you to my mother. Let's see who should behave." "You still want to report me even though the results are guaranteed to be nil?" While Barbara fell silent, Philip nodded his head. "Okay. Just do what you want to do, and I will do what I want too. Say goodbye to my help.” Barbara gasped. She just remembered her original purpose of meeting Philip. "If
"Come on!” Frank urged. “I don't have much time. Prove it!" Barbara accepted it with furrowed brows. "Let’s see! You will be amazed by my abilities.” Frank smiled and set the stopwatch. "Well then, you can start ... now." The first ten seconds, Barbara looked like a pro. But the rest, she was in a daze. "Are you sure you've studied fashion design? Louis' drawings are even better than that." Barbara glanced up. Her hand gripped the pencil tighter. "One minute is too short. I can't work under pressure. Creativity is not instant." Frank pursed his lips. His expression was exactly like the twins who were thinking. "I'm not demanding perfect results. I just want to measure the extent of your abilities. In 60 seconds, you should be able to choose one of your favorite works and draw it here. Are you sure that designing is your field?" Barbara suddenly pounded the table. Her eyes sharpened. "Can you please not insult me?" "That's not an insult, but honesty. Have you always been hone
Picking up a box from the table, Emily sighed. "Okay. Then, let me explain what you have to do, Auntie." She brought it to Barbara's couch. "Since Daddy said you studied fashion design, I'm sure you know more than me. So, let’s go straight to practice." When Emily opened the box, various shapes of beads immediately reflected the light. Barbara spontaneously frowned. "What is it for?" "One of my projects is a party dress. You know that fringe is trending, right? I want to make a dress inspired by salsa dancers." Barbara's eyes widened. "Don't tell me you want me to make the beaded fringes." Emily's lips trembled in amusement. She quickly covered it so she wouldn't laugh. "Unfortunately, I need some fringe samples. You should make them, Auntie. Ten combinations of samples are enough. Then I need 10 fringes with different lengths for each combination. The minimum length is 10 cm." "Ten combinations?" Barbara's jaw dropped. "Yes." Emily picked up a bead with her tiny thumb and for
Frank furrowed his eyebrows. "Paul Harris is corrupt?" "I've also traced their family expenses. Sorry, but your mother and sister are truly extraordinary." "My half-sister." Frank pointed his index finger. Jeremy nodded while displaying a table. "Look! This is their expenses in one month." Frank checked the list. After only a few lines, he was already wide-eyed. "Why did they buy jewelries these much? They want to open a jewelry shop?" "And also this." Frank's eyes opened wider. "They want to open a clothing shop too?" Jeremy smiled crookedly. "And shops for shoes, bags, watches, antiques, interior decorations, and much more. Apart from that, they never miss a holiday abroad every month." "I suddenly feel sorry for my stepfather." Jeremy nodded. "I am so grateful that Vivian is my mother." Frank closed his eyes and sighed. He suddenly felt very tired. "It turns out this is just the beginning," he muttered hoarsely. "You have to be careful, Frank. Moreover, I found this in y
"Oh, no! This is Barbara's package! She will definitely kill me if she finds out I opened her package." Louis' eyes were perfectly round as he checked the name written on the wrap. Philip raised an eyebrow. "This is Barbara's package?" Louis nodded. Seeing his assistant's serious expression, he frowned as well. "What's wrong, Philip?" "Young Master, let's report this to your father. This ball is suspicious." Louis gasped. He remembered his mission. "Maybe that's why Daddy sent me here!" Quick as lightning, he grabbed Philip's hand. "Come on, Philip! We have to act quickly." He didn’t care about the dress sweeping the floor. Arriving at the CEO's room, Louis exclaimed, "Daddy, look what we found! I accidentally opened the package for Barbara. It contained a dress. When I stood up, there was a ball rolling. Philip said the ball was suspicious." Philip put the ball on the table. Seeing the contents, Emily's jaw dropped. "Is that what Daddy said earlier? The medicine I should look f
Philip rushed in and grabbed Barbara's hand. Before he could say anything, Barbara was pushing again. After Briony came out, Barbara breathed a sigh of relief. “Philip .... Our child has been born.”Even though his head was nodding, Philip blinked in confusion. His mouth was agape, not knowing how to respond. "Yes ...," he sighed after a few moments. Briony's cries helped him regain his senses. "Wow," Philip blinked. He bent down, stroking his wife's hair with mixed feelings. "You're so great, Babe. You can give birth that fast." Barbara smiled proudly. "Our efforts weren't in vain, Phil. I was actually scared earlier. Briony's urge was very strong. But Louis and Emily forbade me to push. I tried to hold it in until finally, I gave in." Philip sighed in amazement and disbelief. Still looking stiff, he kissed Barbara's temple. "You're amazing, Babe. I'm glad you didn't encounter any major difficulties." Philip wiped the tears from her face. "I'm happy too. But where were you? I to
"Louis, Auntie is about to give birth!" Emily rose with a high arch of her eyebrows. "You’re right! We have to take her to the hospital!" Wasting no time, Louis grabbed Barbara's hand, pulling her to turn around. "Come on, Auntie. Let's go back to the car." However, Barbara shook her head. Her face was pale, her body tense. Her feet seemed to be glued to the earth. "What's wrong, Auntie?" "Call Philip," she muttered softly. "What?" "Call Philip!" The twins flinched. After one nod, they ran towards Philip. "Uncle Philip! Uncle Philip!" "Hey, where are you guys going?" Barbara exclaimed again. The twins braked. When they looked back, Barbara was waving. "Why did you leave me here alone?" Her voice was shrill. "You told us to call Uncle Philip!" Louis shook his head, not understanding. "Yeah, but don't leave me here." While limping, she inched closer to Louis and Emily. "One person calls him. One more person, hold me!" The twins blinked. Not because they didn't understand, b
"Hello, Orion," Emily whispered as the tiny baby in the box opened his eyes. Her hand reached out, trying to reach his chubby cheek. From the other side of the box, Louis also looked inside. "Hello, Oscar." "Louis?" Emily scolded with round eyes. "Why do you call him Oscar? This is our first meeting with him. Don't make a bad impression." Louis pursed his lips. "Okay, sorry. I'm used to it. Let me repeat." After clearing his throat, he looked down again. "Hello, Orion. It's me, Louis. I'm your cousin." Emily smiled slightly and nodded. "That's just right." After giving Louis thumbs up, she waved her hand downwards. "And I'm Emily. Nice to meet you, Orion." For a few moments, the two toddlers were busy observing Orion. Philip and Barbara were amused by their comments. "It turns out that Uncle Philip was right. Orion looks like both of his parents. His eyes are like Auntie's, while his nose and mouth are like Uncle's." "His chin also looks like Uncle’s, but his hair looks like
A nurse tried to calm Ava. However, the woman still shook her head, rejecting all the words directed at her. She was very weak. The pain seemed to knock out all the bones in her body. Her brain could no longer function normally. "No. I have no strength anymore. I can't continue." After taking a heavy breath, Jeremy bowed. The nurse had shifted. Jeremy had more freedom to stroke Ava's hair which was wet with sweat and her face which was flooded with tears. "Ava, can you hear me? Ava?" Their gazes finally met. Jeremy could see the desperation in those brown eyes. "I can't take it anymore, Jeremy. I can't. Let the doctor take it out. I can't take it anymore." Jeremy's chest felt like it had been torn apart. He almost choked with pain. Stroking Ava's shoulder, he shook his head. "No, I know you. You're not someone who never gives up, Ava. You can do it." "But I don't have the energy anymore, Jeremy." "There is. There definitely is." Jeremy grabbed Ava's shaking fingers. "This is f
"Look at this, Brandon." Louis placed a stack of photo paper on the table. Then, he showed them one by one to his friend. "This is a picture of Russell crying. This is a picture of him laughing. And this is a picture of Russell being angry." "Can babies get angry? Isn't he still too young to understand anything?" Brandon shook his head faintly. Louis shrugged. "I don't know about that. But when Russell sees something he doesn't like, his hands keep flapping and his mouth makes sounds ...." Louis imitated a baby's moan which made the librarian glance. "Russell also has sharp eyes, Brandon. If he feels annoyed by us, he will glare while furrowing his eyebrows." Emily touched the base of her eyebrows, checking to see if they were the same shape as Russell's eyebrows in the picture. Brandon smiled at Emily's expression. "I think he must be really cute when he's angry." "Yes!" Emily nodded quickly. "He's always cute, all the time. Louis, show him a picture of Russell in the shower."
"Oh, look at Russell, Louis. Isn't he very handsome? He's clean and smells good." Emily put her nose closer to Russell's face. When she managed to kiss that very soft cheek, she giggled holding back her laughter. She didn't want to disturb Kara who was sleeping in Frank's arms. "Yes, he is very handsome. He looks like me. Isn't that right, Grandma?" Louis raised his gaze towards the woman holding Russell. Susan smiled amusedly. "Yes, he looks like you. Only his nose is a little sharper." Louis' lips immediately pursed. His forefinger pointed at his own nose. "How sharp do you want Russell's nose to be? My nose is already very sharp." Susan chuckled at Louis' answer. "I’m just joking, Louis. It doesn't matter whose nose is sharper. What's important is that you're both healthy." Louis nodded in agreement. His hands then rose to touch the baby's feet. "Grandma, is Russell heavy?" Susan raised her eyebrows. "Do you want to carry him?" Louis glanced at Emily. "How about you try fir
"Hello, Good Boy," Kara held Russell carefully, as if the little creature was a very fragile pearl. Tears could not stop running down her face. After kissing the baby who was covered in a towel, Kara whispered again, "This is Mommy, Russell. I'm happy that I can finally hug you like this." While biting his lips, Frank also bowed. He stroked the tiny back then kissed his head. "And this is Daddy, Russell. Daddy is also happy that you are finally here." Still with a wide smile and red eyes, Frank looked at Kara gently. Before the pool of emotion dripped again, he quickly kissed her forehead. Kara closed her eyes accepting the warmth. "Thank you for giving birth to our son, Queen Bee," Frank whispered hoarsely. Kara smiled wider and nodded faintly. "Thank you for accompanying me here." "That's what I should have done a long time ago." Frank stroked her cheek before kissing her again. "Daddy, we want to see Russell too! Can we come closer?" Emily asked, jumping a little on the chai
Kara was sitting on the bed. Her head rested on the broad shoulder next to her. Closing her eyes, she tried to catch her breath."Is there any news from the Twins?" she asked quietly. Frank shook his head. His hands kept to massage Kara's fingers. "You don't need to worry about them, Queen Bee. They are independent and intelligent children. They will understand that you have to give birth soon. Let's celebrate their birthday after Russell is born, hmm?" After a short nod, Kara turned her head further. "Are you crying?" Frank's eyebrows pulled together. Moving his head away so that it would be easier to see her, he shook his head. "Why do you think I'm crying?" "Your voice is shaky, Frank." Pursing his lips, Frank took a deep breath. "I'm not crying." "Then why are your eyes red and watery?" Frank blinked firmly. "I'm not crying," he repeated with more emphasis. Still out of breath, Kara let out a laugh. Her head tilted slightly, waiting for his tears to fall. "Are you sure?"
"Hello, Brandon. Welcome to our event," Louis shook his classmate's hand. "Hello, Louis. Happy birthday. I hope you live a long and healthy life," the blonde boy said, occasionally glancing at Emily. "Thank you, Brandon. Did you come alone?" Brandon nodded. "Yes, my parents had to attend another event. So, only the driver took me here." After one blink, Brandon offered his hand to Emily. "Happy birthday too, Emily. You're so beautiful tonight." Emily shook Brandon's hand with a sweet smile. "Thanks, Brandon. You also look cool tonight. The jacket suits you." Brandon blushed. His lips twitched to suppress the excitement in his chest. "Thank you, Emily. I deliberately asked my mother to look for the best outfit. I want to look cool at this event." "Your mom has a good sense of fashion," Emily nodded before glancing to the side. "Louis, I think you should try a regular tie like Brandon. You're five years old. It's time for you to leave that bow tie behind. You should try somethin