"Wow ...." Ava gasped involuntarily. Even though her voice was very thin, Jeremy's ears caught it. The corners of his lips rose slightly. "Do you like it?" Ava raised her gaze, full of emotion. "Yes, it's very beautiful. Thank you, Jeremy. Mister Jeremy," she corrected swiftly. Jeremy did his best to suppress a smile and nodded. "Ava," Emily's sweet voice sounded, "can you show us the dress? I'm curious about the model Uncle chose. It must look very beautiful." "Yes, Ava. Show us!" Louis nodded with round eyes. Ava put the box on the chair. After a while, a lilac evening dress was spread out. The model was simple, but looked elegant. When the gold thread on it reflected the light, everyone forgot to blink. "Uncle, isn't that a limited edition dress? It was alongside the dress I designed in the most anticipated fashion of the new year!" Louis blinked, turning to his sister. "Is that dress you mentioned before?" "Yes, the ornaments are made from real gold thread! The price is
"W-what do you mean? Why did you say that?" Ava's voice was hoarse. Her throat felt dry. Suddenly, Eva poked her shoulder. "If you didn't come back, Mom and Dad would only love me. I was their only daughter. I wouldn't be under anyone's shadow." "Do you realize what you said?" Ava's voice grew shakier. Her lips trembled violently. Her eyes turned red to suppress the emotions in her chest. "Yes, I'm well aware. I've been holding this for a long time. Why didn't you just die when you were kidnapped? Why did you come back when I was comfortable with my new family, hmm? Why?" Unexpectedly, a slap landed on Eva's cheek. The girl gasped. She never expected that Ava, who was always submissive, could turn against her. "You've gone too far, Eva. All this time, I've been very patient with you. You think it's not difficult to be me?" Ava's tone also rose even though the volume was still under control. "I have fought tooth and nail to return to my parents. I was only twelve years old when
Seeing Frank's phone screen, Kara also widened her eyes. "Isn't it already late there?" Louis blinked while chewing his food. "Who's calling, Mommy?" "Grandma Diana," Frank said before picking up the phone. "Hello?" "Frank!" Frank spontaneously took the phone away from his ear. "What's wrong, Grandma? Why are you shouting like that?" "Why didn't you guys tell me anything? No wonder I couldn't sleep these two days. I was learning to use the internet earlier. Suddenly, articles about you appeared.""Calm down, Grandma. Don't panic yet. Everything is under control. Kids are fine. They are eating well right now." "Where are they?" Frank turned on speaker mode. "Kids, Grandma wants to talk to you." Louis quickly swallowed the food in his mouth. "Grandma!" Emily, who was still chewing, could only wave her hand. "Louis, how are you, Darling? Are you okay?" "I'm fine, Grandma. Don't worry. I'm very healthy. How are you, Grandma? You are healthy too, right?" "Yes, I’m fine. Just no
"Ava, is your sister home yet?" Mrs. Connor asked when Ava fixed her blanket.Ava turned still. After one breath, she managed a smile. "I think you heard everything, Mom. You must know that we’re fighting again." "Even so, can't you still pay attention to her? She's your little sister. Ask her whether she's home yet or not." The curve of Ava's lips felt bitter. "She won't answer my call." "Then, just send her a message. Tell her that I’m worried about her." Ava had no other choice. Again, she had to give in. However, when she found that Eva's number was inactive, her annoyance turned into confusion. Eva never turned off her phone under any circumstances. "How's it going, Ava?" Ava put her phone in the pocket. "She's already home. She knew you asked, so she immediately answered and quickly hung up." Mrs. Connor nodded faintly. "Then I can sleep now." Seeing her mother close her eyes without saying anything else, Ava sighed. "What do I expect? Even until the end of the world, Mo
"Don't you learn from mistakes?" Ava sighed in between her irregular breaths. "I'm weak and having no skills. I failed to carry out Sophia's mission. Why do you still want to give me such a big task?" "Because I know you will learn from your mistakes. You remember the accident you had some time ago, right? The Moore family never plays around, Darling. With a threat as big as your sister's life, are you still willing to fail?" After a snort of laughter, Patricia whispered, "No. You don't want to fail." Ava's tears rolled down her cheeks. However, she didn't wipe it. She didn't have the energy anymore. She was too tired of carrying a big dilemma in her heart. "What do you want this time? Inject Melanie with the wrong medicine again?" "No. I'm not interested in that woman. She's too small. I need bigger prey." "Who? Frank Harper? You know I'm no match for him. Even your husband failed to beat him. I'll fall down before the tip of my needle touches his skin." Patricia laughed faint
Ava didn't know how long she had been hiding. She didn't dare look at the clock. She felt like she wanted to disappear from the world, to escape from the tough choices she didn't want to make. Unfortunately, when she started to feel better, someone knocked on the door. Ava had to wipe her face and check. "Mrs. Melanie?" "Have you forgotten me? Luckily I'm independent. I take my own breakfast, take my own medicine, and listen to audio recordings myself. What are you doing here? Are you sick?" Ava hid her face in the shadow of her head. "Sorry, Madam. I'm feeling unwell today. So, have you taken care of everything?" "Yeah, I even did my own hair this morning. Look! Isn't it beautiful?" Melanie spun around and showed off her bun. Ava wanted to smile but failed. "Beautiful." Melanie chuckled. "No wonder the servants couldn't stop looking at me. By the way ...." She handed Ava a small box. "I took the package from Barbara earlier. It turns out there is a package for you. So I deliv
"Are you sure you're okay?" Jeremy whispered softly. Ava quickly looked away. "I'm fine." "No. You're not fine. Your face is very pale. You look tired. When was the last time you ate?" Ava let out a faint gasp. A second later, her eyes peeked cynically. "I told you I'm fine. Why do you force me to admit that I'm not fine?" Jeremy was stunned. Just then, he realized that Ava's eyes were red and wet. "Did something happen to you? It has something to do with Eva?" Ava's head tilted back slightly. When she got her senses, she quickly knitted her eyebrows. "Why do you always accuse my sister? My business has nothing to do with you. Stop interfering." Ava brushed Jeremy's hand away with a shrug. "Now let me go and don't bother me anymore. I'm already very busy without your distraction." Jeremy had to lower his hands and let Ava pass. However, his focus remained on the girl. "Sorry if I add to your burden. But I'm doing this because I care about you. We're friends." Ava slowed down
Ava shook her head. "You never hurt me." "I'm the one who hurt you," she thought later, painfully. "So what? What makes you sad? Tell me." Jeremy's voice had never been so soft. However, Ava's defense remained strong. She was reluctant to reveal her evil plan. She was too embarrassed. "Can't you hate me?" Ava whispered before continuing silently. "It just felt right to me." Jeremy furrowed his brows. "Why do you ask that?" "Because I'm not a good person. I've put other people down for my own interests. I'm selfish." "Why are you bringing up Sophia's problem again? Did someone mention that matter? That person called you unfit to be close to me and my family because of that?" Ava's hands clenched. She didn't dare open her mouth. "If that's what makes you sad, just ignore what he or she said. That person might be jealous of you." Jeremy misunderstood, but Ava saw it as an opportunity. "What if what she said turns out to be true? I'm selfish and reckless. What if one day ... I'
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