Thank you for reading. The next chapter is in the evening, Singapore Time.
“You look tired, tiger? You and Archer were up until what time? I did not notice you climb up to bed until three in the morning - I think,” Scarlett asked while arranging all the luggage they had for their afternoon flight. When her husband did not answer, she tried again, “Something bothering you?" “Hmm?” In fact. Kaleb was distracted. His mind kept going back to Archer’s report last night. When Boris told him about this actor named Vlad Cross. He checked back with Archer and found out this was the same man who was currently safeguarding Lisa Hayes in his home. Why? He assumed they were friends, but now, learning from Boris that the same actor was suddenly claiming to have a son, Kaleb suspected this was the result of him not awarding Lisa her five million dollar request. “What’s on your mind, tiger?” Scarlett asked again. "I don't like being kept in the dark." "I'm sorry." Kaleb held Scarlett’s hand, and he walked her to the living room balcony. He scanned the surroundings, mak
“How is the security?” Kaleb asked Archer while standing on the front lawn of Kyle Wright’s mansion. A day after Vlad Cross walked into the hotel, bringing photographers, and since then, they spotted three media crews near the property. It was clear to Kaleb that the media had been tipped about Liam, one way or another. The security at the hotel had to keep a watchful eye around the building. Earlier that day, his men reported how Vlad was now staying at the hotel, two blocks away from the Third Diamond Hotel, and he was seen taking his breakfast at a nearby cafe. Of course, the same actor tried to get a reservation at the Third Diamond Hotel, but he was denied outright. It was exactly because of this that Kaleb had earlier brought his family to his brother’s home, a way to keep Liam from the public eye. Kyle’s new home was within a private community that was equally well-guarded. On top of that, Kaleb added more security workforce around the mansion. “Everything is secured,” Arch
“After confirming that you are the biological father of Liam, our clients would like to reach a settlement,” Yael said in front of Vlad Cross, Mina Rosales, and Mina’s junior associate, Carl. They were inside one of the conference rooms of James and Powel Law Firm, trying to meet in the middle and avoid a custody battle in court. Naturally, Scarlett was present. She had decided to take the case herself, with Yael as the lead counsel. Kaleb was sitting next to her, staring at Vlad and barely blinking. “And what settlement would you be willing to offer?” Mina asked, her eyes briefly looking at Vlad. For a second, Scarlett swore she saw a fainted smirk on Mina's face. However, just as Scarlett tried to study Mina closely, she was back to looking objectively in front of them. “Mister and Misses Wright will remain to be the rightful guardians of Liam - the legal parents. They are willing to introduce Mister Vlad Cross as Liam’s biological father, but without seeking custody of the ch
“The court is in session. Presiding in this trial is Judge Susan Roberts.” Two months had passed since the court agreed to hear the appeal of Vlad Cross. Since Kaleb refused to give Vlad the requested amount of five billion dollars, he used his influence to get an earlier schedule in court. His family’s power was not enough to sway the judge against listening to Vlad’s petition, but he could at least get the matter resolved as soon as possible, assuming the judge will rule in their favor. Present in the courtroom were a few members of the Wright family: Samantha, Ethan, and Gaby. On Vlad's side, Lisa was there and his manager. After giving their acknowledgment to the judge, the plaintiff began their opening statement. Mina greeted the judge before reading out on paper what she had drawn up for that day, “We all know Vlad Cross being the famous actor who starred in recent action movies. Mister Cross’ fans know him as a person who lost his parents to divorce. His father and mother s
“I think you did a good job today, kitten. You might actually upgrade to becoming a lioness soon enough,” Kaleb teased while wrapping his arms around Scarlett’s waist. He was sitting behind her, relishing in her scent. They were at the Longhills and Hogans Associates Law Firm, deliberating on their next action plan. Scarlett giggled as she felt Kaleb’s lips land on her cheek. She turned to him and replied, “Lisa seems to motivate me.” The two wound up chuckling, all while shaking their heads at the thought of Lisa. “I also thought Scarlett did a fantastic job,” Yael agreed. He was sitting across the table drinking his coffee while checking his paralegal’s research. “So, where are we at right now?” Kaleb asked. He returned to his seat, wanting an update. On day one of the hearing, Scarlett and Yael felt they successfully tainted Lisa’s credibility. After she spouted baseless accusations, their party also submitted evidence of how Lisa had asked for money in exchange for leaving
“Mister Wright? Can you describe to the court how was it that you lost sight of your son?” Mina asked while taking a full turn, her brow raising in Scarlett’s direction. “Are you really that responsible father you claimed to be?” It was the third day of the trial and while Kaleb’s party had seemingly gained points over the past two court sessions, Mina brought up the time when Liam disappeared. She had earlier introduced a witness, the former receptionist of the Herbal Twist Restaurant, the same establishment where Scarlett had previously worked for. Unfortunately, the receptionist exaggerated the turn of events that led to Liam being missing back then. Now Mina was grilling Kaleb, trying to make him look bad in front of the judge. Shaking his head, Kaleb sucked in his irritation for the woman. He repeated, “I turned away from him, just briefly, and he disappeared -” “You mean, you were too busy looking at your future wife, Scarlett Barnes at that time, that you lost your son? Yo
“Yes, that’s her. She goes under the name of Monica Smith every time she collects the money,” a Western Union employee confirmed, having seen Lisa claim money sent by Vlad’s assistant. Each time she secured the money, Lisa used a fake ID. It was with Yael and Scarlett’s second to the last witness that they introduced money remittance receipts provided by the financial service company. “And based on the number of remittance documents on file, how many times did Monica, AKA Lisa Hayes, receive money from the same name?” Yael asked. “As per record, she had claimed twenty remittances in over six years,” the employee replied. “And can you mention in court the amount Lisa had received per remittance?” Yael sought, and the witness went on, mentioning the values of each. “Fifteen thousand dollars each, except for the last one, which is only valued at five thousand dollars,” the employee replied. When the said employee was under cross-examination, Mina pointed out that Vlad’s name was
“Your honor, before you make your decision today, our client, Mister Kaleb Wright, would like to make a statement,” Yael said before turning to Kaleb, verifying that his decision to speak was final. “Go ahead,” the judge approved, her hand welcoming Kaleb to the front. Getting up from his seat, Kaleb took a deep breath. He turned to his right where Vlad Cross was seated. He was folding his arms against his chest, his jaws clenched tightly. Supporting him in this trial were his manager, a few of his friends, and Lisa. Till the very end, Vlad and his attorneys insisted that the video presented by Bronze Cafe was tampered with and that it had everything to do with the influence of Kaleb Wright. The video also did not change the fact that Kaleb and his party were not able to disprove how Vlad had no knowledge of Liam’s existence. It resulted in both parties presenting their arguments to the judge, reminding her of the pieces of evidence presented over the past month that they had com