My mother turned to look at me. “Cassia, what do you think?” “Just let her in. We’ve always been cordial with them. We can’t just push them away because they’re not doing well now.” “After Wilson Corporation ran into problems, we helped them out a lot, but…” My mother paused and sighed. A lot of the time, my parents did not like bringing up the Wilson family. All of them had similar personalities; they would only treat you well if they could gain something from you. Mrs. Wilson brought a lot of gifts with her as she walked in. I had to greet her before I headed to the hospital. I nodded at her and said, “Mrs. Wilson.”“Hey, Cassia.” She spoke dramatically as she walked over to take my hand. “Wow, your tummy’s huge now! Are you due in a few months?” “Not really. I’m having twins, so my tummy’s larger than usual.” “Ah, twins. The Gordon family must be very happy about it!” I smiled at her. “I’ll leave you guys to catch up, Mrs. Wilson. I’m heading to the hospital for my
The tables had turned. Zach had gone from being a desirable bachelor to an unqualified future son-in-law. The Wilson Family was so desperate to get rid of him. It was low of them to do that, especially since they were drooling over Zach just a while ago. The whole family was truly despicable. In the beginning, all our families had great relationships. However, after the Wilson family’s actions, our relationship with them soured. I pulled away from Mrs. Wilson and smiled as I answered, “Mrs. Wilson, not everyone likes to go back to the same person. Cecilia claims that she didn’t want to ruin my relationship with Zach. Yet, why didn’t she say the same thing when we got divorced? Her actions were appalling when she first came back to the country. You didn’t have issues with seeing clearly like me. I heard that to get back with Zach, Cecilia went to Yonder Trading and Gordon Corporation every day to see him. Wasn’t she trying to sabotage my relationship with Zach?” “No. You’ve mi
Hayden was waiting for me at the entrance. “Was something holding you up? I had to let the next patient go first, so you’ll need to wait a bit,” he said.“That’s okay. We had a guest at home, so I stayed to chat for a while.”Hayden took my hand as we walked into the hospital. Just then, a graceful figure approached us.Even though I could not clearly see, my sixth sense was super sharp. It was almost like magic. I smiled and said, “Hi, Dr. Lawson.”It was indeed Yulia, and she was surprised. “You can see, Ms. Freeman?”“Nope. I don’t need my eyes anymore. I use this.” I pointed at my forehead. “I’ve gotten myself a third eye.”Yulia laughed. “You’re the most cheerful patient I’ve ever met.”Did I have to feel like I was dying just because I could not see?Shortly after, Hayden accompanied me to the Physiotherapy Department for treatment.“You should get back to work,” I said.“I’m free since my shift’s ended. I asked Dr. Ford to stay a bit longer to check on you.”“Sorry ab
By the time I got home, Helen was already gone. I asked my mom what else they talked about after I left.She sighed. “Why even ask? Didn’t she make it clear before you left? She came here today for two reasons. One, she wants to get rid of Zach. Two, she wants to partner with Freeman Corporation.”I did not ask how my mom turned her down. She only allowed Helen to stay out of respect for their old friendship.That evening, I went out for burgers with Sophie. My mom insisted that I drink some herbal tea before leaving. Apparently, the burgers were “too greasy.” So, I showed up with tea sloshing in my body.Sophie was already there when I arrived. She handed me the menu, and I asked, “Am I supposed to sniff out what I want?”“Oh, right. I forgot.”“Just order whatever you like. I’m not picky. I need to use the restroom; my mom made me drink a lot of tea.”“Herbal tea before dinner?”“My mom’s obsessed with health.” I got up, and Sophie immediately stood up too. “I’ll go with yo
Sophie finally returned after a long time. She was out of breath as she plopped down in front of me.“Did you go hiking?”“I checked every booth for Zach, and there wasn’t even a guy who looked remotely like him. Some people even tried to get me to drink with them. Can you believe it?”“You didn’t hit them, did you?”“Why shouldn’t I?”No wonder she took so long. I had a feeling that Sophie would not find him.It felt like Zach had become a ghost that kept floating around me. No one else could feel his presence, except me.Sophie touched my hand and said, “Cassia, can you pull yourself together?”“Shut up. I’m fine.”“I need to use the restroom. I can’t hold it in any longer!” Sophie hurried off, while I searched the table for a spoon to drink my soup.I accidentally knocked the spoon to the floor, so I bent down to pick it up.It was metallic, and the floor was dark, so it was hard to see. As I felt around for it, someone suddenly picked it up for me. Then, he gently plac
I gave Sophie a kick. “Get lost.”She then moved to the other side of the table and continued eating.I decided to ignore the feeling and focus on eating with Sophie. I did not want to waste the food. We finished the burgers, fries, and soup—I ended up eating a lot.After dinner, Sophie helped me out of the restaurant. “So, how was it? The food wasn’t bad, right? Next time, we should order takeout so that we can eat at my place. The smell of beef is strong here. It’s a bit overwhelming.”“You love beef but can’t stand the smell? Isn’t that a little contradictory?”“Lots of people are contradictory,” she replied. “Some say they’ve moved on, but their actions tell a different story.”“I’ll prove it to you.”“How will you prove it?”“Get the car and keep an eye out. Just don’t come out.”“What do you mean?”“Just do as I say.” I nudged her lightly. “I’ll wait right here.”Sophie went to the parking lot to get the car while I waited under the streetlight. She thought that I
Sophie stammered. “It-It really is Zach.”“Yes, Cassia. It’s me,” he finally said.At that moment, all the tension left me, and I released his hand.“Was it—”“Yes, it was me.” He cut me off. “I was the one in Madrid, Dr. Xavier at the hospital, and Mr. Ganes at the rehabilitation center. Earlier, I was watching you from the manager’s office through the security cameras.”I turned to Sophie. While I could not clearly see, I could tell that her mouth was wide open.The mystery was solved, and I was not crazy.I let out a long sigh of relief and walked over to her.I did not care why Zach did what he did. I simply needed to know that I was not imagining things.He could do whatever he wanted; it meant nothing to me.I grabbed Sophie’s arm. “Come on, let’s go. Why are you just standing there?”Eventually, I got in her car. I tried to reach for the seatbelt but failed and got frustrated. “Help me with this, will you? Are you as blind as I am?”Sophie was still in shock. “Cassia
It was too late by the time I yelled. I felt the car tilt and veer toward the side of the road. Sophie quickly grabbed the steering wheel, but it was too late.There was a loud bang as our car crashed into a flower bed. Thankfully, we had not been going very fast, and I had my seatbelt on. I just jerked forward and hit my knee.My first thought was to check my belly. To my relief, I had not hit it. While I was rubbing my knee, Sophie was panicking and on the verge of tears. “Cassia, are you okay? Please tell me that you’re fine! This is bad. You can’t be hurt. I can’t afford this. My mom will kill me, Cassia…”“Stop yelling.” She was so noisy. “I’m fine. I told you to focus on driving. Look what happened!”“Are you sure you’re okay?”“I’m fine. The airbags didn’t even deploy.”Sophie got out to check her car for damage, but I could hear her crying outside. “I just got this car last month! The lights are all broken!”“Just replace them.”“It’s a limited edition! If I chang
Zach helped Rachel with the Legos until Sophie came to get us for the pizza buffet. “What’s going on here?” she asked in surprise.“It’s exactly what it looks like.”“When did he get here?”“After 9 a.m., I think.”“Is Yonder Trading closed or something? Why is he so free?”I rolled my eyes and helped Rachel put on her jacket. “We’re going for lunch.”Rachel did not want to stop. “But I want to keep building.”“Have a break. You can continue later. Let’s eat first.”“Mr. Gordon.” She called me “Cassia” but called Zach “Mr. Gordon.” I wondered why.“Can you play with me this afternoon?”“Probably not. I have paperwork to do,” Zach said.“I knew it! You can only play with me for a little while. Adults only stay in my life for a short time.”Sophie laughed so hard that she could not stand up straight.“He only spent a couple of hours with you. That’s even less than a short time.” I tied her scarf around her and said, “I’ll play with you this afternoon.”“But your belly’s t
Benjamin was caught off guard. But then, he smiled and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Benjamin Lowe. You can call me Mr. Lowe.”I told him, “Can you buy some books and toys, like Legos, for her? She’ll be around quite frequently.”“Sure.” He then glanced awkwardly at the soup on the table. “Mr. Gordon brought this in early this morning.”“Drink it or toss it. Just don’t bring it in next time.” I took Rachel’s hand and walked into my office.There was a couch and a coffee table in the corner of my huge office. Benjamin quickly returned with the toys and books. He even got a playmat, so Rachel could sit on it and play. He piled everything on the table.Whenever I was not busy, I would play with her for a bit and tell her a story or two. Most of the time, she would play quietly by herself.Rachel was sharp but also so sweet that she tugged at my heartstrings. For example, when I said that I would spend more time with her, she told me, “You should work. Don’t waste time on
It was late at night, and everyone was too tired to do anything. I was heavily pregnant, and Sophie had no energy left. So, she stopped fighting back. She just collapsed onto the bed and pulled the blanket over her head.Lucy had already fallen asleep. She was young, and she could sleep through anything, including all our talking.Austin was as cold as ice while he sat on the couch. Since I could not convince him to budge, I gave him some water and went back to sleep.He could do whatever he wanted.When I closed the door, I saw him staring at the bed. The look in his eyes was soft and almost dreamy. I could sense love from where I stood.Did he really love Lucy? I could not believe it because I never thought he felt that way about her.I was exhausted, and my mind was all over the place. I went to sleep and had no idea when Austin left.The next morning, Sophie appeared at my door with a pillow.“If you didn’t sleep well last night, you can sleep a little longer. You’re
“I’m not scared. With Austin to protect me, what do I have to worry about? But I think you’re pretty pathetic, Sophie. I show up, and you just give me your room. Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Lucy shook her head. “So pathetic.”Sophie simply stared at her. Lucy was nervous, but she was trying to put on a tough front.Right after, Sophie wore an eerie and unsettling smile.“Fine. You want to sleep with me? Let’s do it. After all, I’m scared of you.” With that, she went back into the room. “It’s time for a shower. Who’s going first, you or me?”Since Lucy had won, she gave me a smug look. “Sophie’s so easy to deal with.”“I don’t think you’ll enjoy sleeping in the same room with her as much as you think,” I warned.The room next door became eerily quiet after I returned to my room.I knew that Sophie would not hurt Lucy. She was not one to go overboard.I texted her. [If you don’t want to share a room with her, come to mine.][It’s fine. The bed’s big enough,] Sophie replied.Alright, then.
As I approached Sophie’s room, the yelling got increasingly loud and made my ears hurt.I opened the door to see her dragging Lucy out by the ear. Lucy was screaming, “Sophie, let go! You’re a barbarian! Austin told me to stay here! Who are you to kick me out? This isn’t even your house!”“This is my house.” I stepped aside to avoid the chaos. “And I’m telling you to leave.”“Austin said I could stay!” “Austin isn’t the king of the world.” I sneered. “Why should I listen to him?”Before I could finish, Sophie had already dragged Lucy to the door. I opened it wide so that she could toss her out.Lucy clung to the doorframe like her life depended on it. “I’m not leaving! Sophie, if you kick me out, what will you do when Austin comes looking for me?”Sophie grabbed a feather duster that Mrs. Gibson had left behind and marched toward Lucy.She started screaming, “Sophie, what are you doing?! Don’t hit me! Sophie! Stop!”Sophie raised the feather duster up high. I knew that she wo
Sophie completely ruined a happy moment.I looked at her. “You’re not still hoping for something with Austin, are you?”“Of course not!” she raised her voice. “I’m not a masochist!”Just then, Mrs. Gibson knocked on the door. “Ms. Cassia Freeman, Ms. Sophie Freeman, someone’s here to see you.”Who could it be this late?We went downstairs and saw Lucy at the front door with a suitcase.She simply would not leave us alone.My head hurt when I saw her.Lucy saw us and walked right in without taking off her shoes. “I told you Cassia and Sophie know who I am! Cassia, your housekeeper’s so rude. She wouldn’t let me in.”“Hey, what are you doing?” Sophie blocked her path. “Take another step, and I’ll get security to throw you out.”“Starting today, I’ll be staying here.” Lucy sat on her suitcase and grinned.“What are you talking about? Are you sure you’re not crazy?”I did not want to argue with her. “Did Austin kick you out?”Lucy was like glue. Once she stuck to you, you coul
“Do you want to talk to Sophie?” I asked, even though I knew he would not say anything nice.As expected, he wore the usual mocking smile. “Talk to that idiot? No thanks.”He hung up, and the screen went black.I was so mad that I felt like my heart might stop. Austin never got angry or showed big emotions, but his calm sarcasm was enough to drive anyone crazy.Just then, Sophie ran over and held out her hand. She was sweating and out of breath. “Where’s Rachel’s water bottle? She’s thirsty.”I gave it to her, and she asked, “Who were you talking to?”“An idiot,” I replied.“Oh.” She ran off again without giving it a second thought.We ended up playing there until sundown. Rachel was all sweaty, so I helped her change in the car. Although it was already spring, it was still a little chilly without the sun.We headed home and invited Kingston to join us for dinner.He gave Sophie the mechanical kite. Our garden was big, so she could fly it anytime.We did not usually have gue
“Let Bob go. Tell Zach to hang the thermos on its neck.”“Isn’t that a bit much?”“He told me that if I didn’t drink his soup, Bob could have it. So, what’s the problem with letting Bob fetch it?”Mrs. Gibson walked away with a troubled expression, and I continued building the sandcastle.Rachel suddenly looked up and asked, “Cassia, don’t you like that guy anymore?”“I don’t like him anymore,” I said.“Is he bad?”“He’s not bad. I just don’t like him anymore.”“You can like my dad, then. He’s handsome, and he knows how to make cheese pizza.”Well, my standards were a little higher than someone who could make cheese pizza.I was not sure what happened to Zach’s soup because I never saw it. His cooking was not that great, and we already had good cooks at home. Mrs. Gibson, Mrs. Ziegler, and Mrs. Harrison made amazing soups. They were from different places, so I got to try food from all over.As such, Zach’s soup was not needed.I never thought there would come a day when I
“When did your head get so square?” I looked at the metal block for a while, but I could not see how it resembled Sophie.“This robot doesn’t have to look like me. The important part is its core. It can follow my commands, and Kingston said he’ll add my voice to it later.”“What can it do? A two-hundred-dollar smart box can already do things like turn lights on and off or flush the toilet.”“Tch, this is different. Apart from following my commands, it can also read my emotions. It’ll then play the appropriate music to improve my mood.”That sounded interesting. “It should be a mood helper instead of a robot.”“Kingston also mentioned that it has a special function if I get really upset.”“Will it explode into fireworks?”“Tch.” She rolled her eyes and hugged the robot. “I don’t know. He didn’t say.”Sophie seemed to like the gift.However, Kingston did not really give it to her because she was fond of it. He just happened to study this stuff.I was incredibly tired, so I turn