By the time I got home, Sophie was already back.She was watching a cartoon with Rachel. When she saw me, she asked, “Where have you been? Why are you home so late?”“I went for a checkup and stopped by to see Austin’s dad.”“Oh.” Her eyes widened. “I totally forgot about that.”“I already explained it to him. With how inattentive you are, we don’t expect you to remember. By the way, how did you even get downstairs?”“Oliver carried me to the elevator. He’s grown so much. He lifted me like it was nothing.”“What about Lucy?”“Why do you care?”I did not, really. I was just curious.Lucy had gone out. She could not sit still at home.Kingston showed up shortly after. After a quick chat, I took Rachel to her room to play. That way, he could be alone with Sophie. I even asked Mrs. Gibson to bring our dinner to the room to give them privacy.I had always been in favor of Sophie and Kingston dating. That was why I introduced them to each other in the first place.However, realiz
I was not afraid of giving birth. I did not know why I was so angry. Sophie actually knew nothing, and she had not done anything wrong. Austin was not in the wrong either. He was only preventing Sophie from future heartache. I regretted knowing so much. My heart was heavy, and I could not describe how I felt. Just then, I heard someone at the door. It was Lucy returning. I walked over and saw her grimace. Austin was walking behind her. I bet she was having fun when he took her home. Lucy suddenly seemed like a mere pawn. I poked my head into the living room. Sophie had finished her meal, and Kingston was wiping her mouth with a piece of tissue paper. I frowned at Sophie. “If you want to act all lovey-dovey, do it in your room.”“Who’s going to be my audience, then?” She looked at Austin. “Why do I have to avoid him?”I gave up and decided to let her be. She would regret it in the future. After that, I personally poured Austin a cup of tea. He took the cup and said
Rachel had already fallen asleep. So, I went downstairs for a glass of lemon water. Kingston happened to walk out of Sophie’s room too. He carefully shut the door, and I asked, “Is Sophie asleep?”“Yes.” Kingston laughed and said, “I was telling her a bedtime story, and she dozed off.”He had such patience to even tell Sophie a bedtime story. I could see how much he liked her. If Austin were not in the picture, I would be very happy to see their relationship progress. However, I was the one who had introduced Kingston to Sophie. Whenever I thought about Austin, I felt bad. “Have a safe drive home.”“Don’t worry. It’s just a short drive.” He kindly helped me down the stairs. “Oh, Sophie wants some pastries for breakfast tomorrow. What would you like to eat? I could buy some for you.” “She’s asking you to buy her breakfast? Don’t waste your energy. I can get the driver to buy it or just order delivery. You don’t have to trouble yourself.”“It’s no trouble at all. Sophie did
“Hush.” I held my finger up to my lips. “Stop being so noisy. He’s still sleeping.”“Cassia, can you add more people to your list of blacklisted guests? Austin, that dog—” “Shut up,” I chastised her before she could finish her sentence. However, Austin had already woken up and sat up from the sofa bed. He patted his numb arm as he said to Sophie, “At first, Lucy was sleeping here too, but your snores got too loud, so she went to the other room. I’m still here because I fell asleep. I wasn’t interested in staying up to listen to your snoring.” Sophie threw a throw pillow at him. She used too much force, so Austin toppled over after being hit. She laughed. “Austin, you’re such a loser. Are you made out of glass? Why are you falling over after such a light throw?” Austin slowly walked out of the room, and Sophie scowled as he left. Then, she lay down again. I picked up the throw pillow and tossed it back to her. “Can you be gentler next time?”“Why?”“I know you’re athletic
Rachel really liked the pastries that Kingston had bought. “I’ve never had such good food before,” she said.She was always surprised by our food, as she grew up overseas with a different type of cuisine. Zach had promised to finish building the castle with Rachel, so I sent her to Yonder Trading in the morning. I held her hand as we walked into his office. He had just finished laying the game mat on the floor. Rachel ran over to him happily. “Zach!” Zach immediately carried her and lifted her over his head. Rachel giggled. She was usually quite lonely, so she loved to spend time with us adults. After I dropped her off, Zach passed me a folder. “It’s about Lucy.” He was extremely quick in his investigation. I took the folder and only found a few pages inside.Lucy was not originally from West City. Instead, she came from East City. It turned out that she had taken her mother’s last name.Her mother was a lounge singer, and there were a few old photos of her in the
While I was staring at Lucy’s photo, my father called me. He and my mother had been away for a really long trip. They left when it was winter, and it was already spring, but they were still not back. My father said, “The proposal that you sent me regarding Cameron Hill is very detailed. I think it’s a good project. You can sign on my behalf.” “Dad, are you guys not coming back yet?”“You’re good at your job. I feel at ease when you’re in charge.” “Dad, don’t forget that my baby’s due in two months.” “Well, aren’t there two months left, then?” I was speechless. My father was trying to make use of me until the day I gave birth. He seemed to be in a good mood. Yesterday, my mother called and told me that Aunt Lauren and her husband were feeling much better than before. It was especially so after they learned that Sophie had gotten into a relationship. Before I ended the call, my father gave me some encouraging words, “Oscar called me yesterday and praised you for being a
The past few days had been particularly hectic. The signing of the Cameron Hill project was around the corner, and we were going to open for tender on the signing day. Once the project began, we would subcontract to many construction companies. We had a few construction companies under Freeman Corporation. However, it was going to be hard for us to tackle such a big project on our own. Hence, we needed to look for subcontractors. Doing both the signing and the tendering on the same day was a first in the industry. Actually, I did not want to rush things like that, but Austin wanted to be quick. He was afraid that his body would give up on him. Meanwhile, I was afraid that I would accidentally tell Sophie the truth one day. Sophie could not make it to the signing. She could not walk well, and she was basically resting. We had released the news about the tender a few days ago, and I had received tenders from many companies. Wilson Corporation was one of them. I glanced at the
Cecilia walked toward me in her high heels. “Cassia, you’re acting like a saint again. When Zach’s career fell apart four years ago, you stayed with him for three years. Now, you’re getting back with him again? You love him that much, huh? I’m telling you that Zach is a lost cause. No matter what you do, he’s not going to make a comeback unless you hand over Freeman Corporation to him. Other people date for fun, but you? You’re ready to risk everything for him.”“Cecilia.” I looked her straight in the eye. “That’s enough. No matter what, Zach used to be completely devoted to you. Not only have you dumped him, but you’re trash-talking him behind his back.”“Behind his back? I’d say the same thing to his face.” Cecilia raised her chin. “Sure, Zach loved me, but I don’t want some lovesick fool. It doesn’t matter that he turned against the Gordon family for me. Did I ask him to? If his life is a mess now, it’s his own fault.”“His fault is falling in love with you.”Cecilia smiled smug
Sophie knocked on my door the next day around 7 a.m.I only managed to fall asleep at about 2 a.m., so I had a bad headache. I sat on the bed as she ran over excitedly and asked, “Are you busy this morning?” “Go away.” I lay down again. “Come to the city hall with me. I’m getting married!”“Why do you need me there? Am I going to breastfeed you?”“You don’t have milk right now.” I was disgusted by our conversation. Rachel sat up from the bed and asked, “Why are you going to the city hall?”“To get married.”“Shouldn’t you be going to a church for that? There’s supposed to be a priest with a bible that asks if you’re willing to marry this person next to you regardless of… something?”“That’s a religious wedding. Besides, it has to be lawful. What we’re doing today is the legal side of things.” Sophie carried Rachel up from the bed. “Do you want to be a witness to our marriage?” “Yay, sure!” Rachel immediately beamed and agreed. “I want to be the priest who holds the bibl
Cecilia had no shame at all. I would be speechless if this worked on Zach. After a while, she walked out dejectedly with her flowers. It seemed like she did not even manage to enter his office. She stood there in annoyance for a while before she suddenly looked over in my direction. I could see her, but she might not be able to see me. I was on a high floor, and the sun was blinding. Right then, Hailey gave me a call. I knew that she wanted to rant about Cecilia. Sure enough, Hailey started to complain, “Ms. Freeman, Cecilia is really shameless. I’ve never seen such a shameless woman. When Mr. Gordon was cut off from Gordon Corporation, she abandoned him immediately. Now that she knows he’s going to be Gordon Corporation’s acting CEO, she instantly starts visiting him again. I really can’t stand her.” “Hasn’t she always been like this?” I was unfazed. “Fortunately, Mr. Gordon is not willing to see her.” Hailey sounded relieved. “Do you really think he won’t see her fo
I looked at Austin’s pale face, and I was at a loss for words. His argument was reasonable, and I had no way to refute it. I was upset, but I could not cry. I felt a heavy feeling in my chest, and I found it hard to breathe. He looked at me and suddenly smiled. “Look at your face. Have I ever said that I liked Sophie? I don’t like girls like her. I prefer girls like you who are smart, beautiful, and decisive. Why don’t you marry me after you give birth to your babies?”I did not want to joke around with him. It was not funny.After that, Lucy exited the bridal shop and got into the backseat of the car. I stood in front of the bridal shop and watched as his car disappeared into the corner. “Cassia,” Sophie called out to me. I turned around. “What?”“Whose side are you on? I realize you’ve been extra nice to Austin recently. Have you forgotten that he’s a jerk?”“Watch your mouth.”I got into my car unhappily. “I’ll make a move first.”“Aren’t we having dinner together to
I knew that he was looking at the photos of him and Sophie in her wedding gown. Perhaps this would be the only time in his entire life that he could stand next to Sophie while she was dressed in a wedding gown. I felt the waterworks coming. When I tried to look for tissue papers in my bag, Zach called me. He sounded a bit excited. “Cassia, there’s this person overseas who has the same blood type as Austin. He has ALS, which is a fatal motor neuron disease. His family has already signed an organ donation form for him, and his condition recently worsened. He may pass in a month’s time, so I got in contact with them. His family has agreed to donate his heart to Austin.” “Really?” It was good news, and I almost leaped in joy. I glanced at Austin excitedly. He was staring intently at his phone, so he did not notice me. “Does Austin have to leave immediately?”“It’s still early. We can leave when the donor’s condition worsens.” I estimated the time. Zach said that it would ta
Sophie could easily start a fight wherever she went. I immediately went over and saw that Austin’s forehead had turned red. It seemed to be getting swollen. I kicked Sophie in anger. “Is there something wrong with you? What are you doing?” “Why did you kick me? Didn’t you hear what he just said?”Austin bent down and picked up Sophie’s phone for her. “Luckily, your phone screen isn’t cracked. It’s fine if my skull is cracked; it can heal.” Sophie took her phone, and it immediately unlocked due to face ID. Her wallpaper was a photo of Kingston and her. She had just changed the wallpaper yesterday. It used to be a photo of me and her. Austin was the one who had taken that photo. Even though Austin was not directly in the photo, it felt like it was a photo of the three of us. He must have noticed it. He smiled and said, “I’ll make a move. Tell Lucy I’ll be waiting for her in the car.” Austin walked out of the bridal shop, and Sophie looked dispirited. “I was quite happy, bu
“You’re getting married too?”“I’ll be your best man or maid of honor. What? You’re too cheap to pay for the outfits?”“You, my best man?”“Look around you. Are there any single people left?”Sophie rolled her eyes. “Hah, I wasn’t planning on inviting you.”Kingston tried to shake Austin’s hand, but Austin ignored him. Sophie got mad and pulled Kingston away. “Don’t pay attention to him. He thinks he’s too good for anyone. He’s crazy.”“Sophie,” I warned.“What? He’s always acting crazy!” she yelled.I was not sure if Austin really wanted to be Sophie’s best man, or if it was just an excuse to come here.Anyway, Austin went to change too. I could not tell the difference between the best man’s and groom’s outfits. However, the difference between the bridesmaid and bride was clear.While Sophie was posing in front of the mirror in her wedding dress, Austin came out of the fitting room.Austin was very thin, and the suit hung loosely on him, but it still looked good.He had a
Sophie’s wedding preparations were progressing quickly. She limped to work in the mornings and dragged me along in the afternoons to buy wedding stuff.I felt like the wedding was just an excuse for her to go shopping.“This afternoon, Kingston and I are trying on our wedding outfits. You should come too.”“It’s your wedding. Why should I come?”“To help me choose! I look good in everything, so it’s hard to pick.”“If it’s that hard, just buy them all. Aren’t you rich?”“Why are you so grouchy?” She leaned closer and observed me. “Cassia, are your hormones off balance?”“I’m pregnant, so everything’s a mess right now.”After some thought, I called Austin and told him, “Sophie’s trying on wedding dresses this afternoon.”“Okay,” he replied in his usual lifeless tone.“Aren’t you going to say anything to her?”“Don’t eat too much. The wedding dress will be a pain to alter.”I was so angry that I hung up. He was so stubborn. I was sure that he would regret it and cry later.M
Austin was the weakest among us when we were kids. He could not climb trees, run, or do anything physically demanding. Instead, he would play board games and puzzles with us.Sophie always thought that he was smart, and she admired him.I never imagined that someone I grew up with might die so soon.“You should leave,” he said weakly. “She should be done by now.”“Austin.” I wanted to say something more, but he turned his back to me.He did not want to listen, so I had no choice but to leave.As I reached the door, I heard him say, “Actually, this is a good thing.”Was he saying that Sophie marrying Kingston was a good thing?What was good about it?I felt like grabbing Sophie over. I wanted to point at the dying man in bed and say, “This guy loves you more than you know. He helped you test Kingston’s character. He thinks about you all the time. He comes to see you every night using his half-sister as an excuse, but he’s dying. He doesn’t want you to be sad, so he plans to die
“I just went for a checkup.” Austin walked over to me. “Why are you sweating so much?”He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and gave it to me. Honestly, only Austin would still carry a handkerchief in his condition.I wiped my sweat. “I came with Sophie to get her cast off, and I thought I’d stop by to see you.”“Get her cast off? I thought that wasn’t until next month?”“She insisted on getting it off today. The doctor checked, and her bone is healing well, so it’s fine for her to take it off.”“When did she start caring so much about her looks?” Austin walked back to his room, and I followed him.He sat down and seemed a little out of breath. I had already asked the doctor about him. Austin could not engage in any physical activity; he could not even walk fast.I was about to pour him some water, but he waved me off. “Don’t bother. I’m not thirsty. How could I let you take care of me? I might be a patient, but you’re pregnant.”At least, he could still joke. If I were him