Bryan cleared his throat to break the awkwardness. "Are you okay?" Abigail blinked and looked down. Her hand subconsciously gripped the phone tighter. "Yes. I can still breathe." Her tone seemed indifferent. "What about your phone?" Abigail checked her gadget briefly. "It's okay. It's still on." Bryan was pensive. He knew there was a crack there. "Sorry, I didn't know you were on the Harper family's side. I thought you were the enemy." Abigail nodded stiffly. "I apologize too. I shouldn't have accused you of being an intruder." Abigail still avoided Bryan's gaze. It made the burden in Bryan's heart never lessen. "I didn't know you were a woman when I knocked you down earlier. I didn't have any other intention when I pressed your chest. It was just a reflex to paralyze the enemy." Abigail's breath hitched. Her eyes widened, all her nerves tensed. How could Bryan say that openly? "Sorry, I don't understand what you mean. When have you ever pressed my ...." Abigail held back he
Smiling sweetly, Emily and Louis walked towards the crystal curtain. They giggled everytime they pulled the trigger of their guns. When the bubbles spread out reflected the reddish color of the twilight sky, they got amazed.Distracted by the beauty, their tiny steps became unstable. Sometimes they slowed down; sometimes they almost collided. Everyone smiled adoring them. "Were they that cute when they walked at our wedding?" Kara leaned towards Frank. Her hand on his chest felt warm. Smiling, Frank rubbed her arm. "Yes, they're that cute, but I don't think Barbara is as pretty as you." Kara narrowed her eyes with a playful expression. "Don't let Barbara hear that, Frank. She'll frown." Frank laughed silently. "She has grown up. Today, she will start a family. She should no longer be affected by things like that, Queen Bee." "Okay, but don't try to test it. We want no trouble, Frank," Kara whispered, shaking her head firmly. Excited by their closeness, Frank stole a kiss. "Yes,
"Emily, can you stop holding me? I'm starting to sweat because you're clinging all the time." Louis loosened his bow tie. Hearing the whisper, Emily pouted. Her hand was reluctant to let go of Louis' arm. "I'm scared, Louis. We don't know who the criminal is. He could be near us." Her eyebrows hoped for pity. "I know it, but we are with a lot of people here, and there are a lot of guards. What are you afraid of?" Emily glanced around. All the waiters were lined up. Their faces were full of wrinkles, especially when Frank and Jeremy approached. On the other side, people sat with the same expressions. They put their hands together, praying. Someone had held a waiter in the janitor's room and robbed him of his uniform. They hoped that the bad guy would be caught quickly. There was only one person who couldn't stop nagging—the bride. "How could we have missed it? Was the security team not working properly? The monitoring team should also not be careless. If necessary, they should n
Seeing Hailey go to the dressing room, Emily's eyes widened. "Why did Grandma Melanie allow Hailey to see Auntie?" Her small voice sounded worried. Louis' cheeks puffed up. "I don't know, but she definitely intends to annoy Auntie." A second later, he looked at Emily closely. "This is serious, Emily. Auntie is in danger. We have to save her!" Emily's eyebrows furrowed in disapproval. "There's a bodyguard accompanying her, Louis. There's also Philip in the dressing room. Hailey couldn't possibly hurt Auntie. I don't think this is any of our business." "But their focus is protecting Auntie from criminals, not Hailey. The proof is Daddy and Grandma let Hailey pass. Only we can stop Hailey!" Suddenly, Louis jumped down from the chair. Emily blinked at the sight. “Louis, what are you gonna do? "I'm going to go save Auntie. Do you want to join me or not?" Emily gripped her own fingers. "Isn't that dangerous? Daddy asked us all to stay in this room." "You said yourself that there was
"No!" Hailey's fingers trembled a few inches in front of her cheek. Her eyes were horrified, as if she was seeing a ghost in the mirror. Everyone furrowed their brows together. No one dared to approach, except Barbara. She touched Hailey's shoulder, asking, "What's wrong, Hailey?" When her friend turned around, Barbara gasped. Her feet spontaneously stepped back, as if she didn't want to get infected. "What's wrong with your face?" "I'm the one who should be asking! What's wrong with my face? Why is my skin like this?" Hailey turned to face the mirror. She grabbed a sheet of tissue and rubbed her cheek. A second later, she grimaced. "Oh, it hurts so much ...." While fanning her face, Hailey started crying. Seeing that, Philip pulled out a tissue and picked up the powder box. "It's mercury," he muttered after observing it carefully. Everyone gasped. "Mercury? How is that possible? The powder was still sealed earlier," one of the make-up team said. "Then what should I do with my
"Daddy, has something happened to Mommy? Why didn't she answer?" Emily pouted again. Her hands gripped Jeremy's suit tighter. Louis worried too. His hands clenched in front of his stomach. His gaze lifted, waiting for an answer from his father. However, Frank said nothing. His hand went up towards the door. Just as he was about to knock, the door swung inward. A second later, Kara appeared, humming. She gasped when she found her husband's presence. "Oh, Frank? Why are you here?" "Are you okay?" Frank held both of her arms, asking in a serious tone. Unexpectedly, Kara chuckled. Her hand stroked her stomach. "I think I need to eat more vegetables. I was even afraid that our little baby would come out. I was hesitant to push." "If you are fine, why didn't you answer when Daddy called?" Kara lowered her gaze. Her eyes widened when she realized Louis was beside Frank. "Little Bee? Why did you come here too? This is the women's toilet." Kara came out while stroking Louis' head. "Wh
"Connect me to Eva!" Patricia reached out her hand. Her assistant quickly dialed Eva's number and handed over the phone. "I thought I had nothing to do with you anymore. Why did you contact me?" Patricia didn't sound friendly at all. However, Eva responded casually. "Good evening, Mrs. Moore. I have a special offer. Aren't we still on the same side?" One of Patricia's eyebrows furrowed. "You think so?" "I'm not a hypocrite. I was indeed angry with you. But after thinking about it again, I realized. The fire in my boutique was a consequence of me having disappointed you." Patricia's lips pursed. "So?" "I realized that our enemies were to blame. Ava Connor, Jeremy Harper, those naughty kids. My boutique would still be intact if they hadn't tripped me. Therefore, I intend to destroy them." The corner of Patricia's lips lifted slightly. "What does it have to do with me? Your grudge is your business." "I need very large funds to rebuild my boutique and I know that my grudge is the
While looking through the list of voice recordings, Frank muttered, "Yes, I don't think there's any harm in using our enemy's tricks for a counterattack. Eva has already been inside their fortress. She knows more clearly where the gaps are. For that, thank you, Miss Connor." "So Eva is a good person now? She's no longer our enemy?" Emily's eyes widened. Suddenly, Louis stepped forward and held out his hand. "I'm sorry, Eva. I thought you were an enemy. If I had known you had become a friend, I wouldn't have pointed a gun at you." With a crooked smile, Eva looked at Louis. "Aren't you afraid to shake hands with me? What if I grab you and do something bad?" "If that happens, then you will immediately flounder and pass out. I still have a gun, remember? Don't mess with me." Louis showed his gun next to his head. A small laugh escaped Eva's mouth. She greeted Louis then looked around at the stunned people. "Sorry if I'm just choosing the right side now. Sometimes, it takes a while 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