“Eugene… Fray…” Laura thought she would never utter those words ever again in this life. There was a sort of gentleness in the way she said it. But with the person next to him, she bared her stained teeth. Laura said provokingly, “Madeline King, as I live and breathe.” She didn’t bother addressing the other two visitors in her home as she sat on the couch, holding as much dignity to her every movement as she can.“What do you want?” She crossed her legs and arms, not minding the messiness of her abode.“It’s been more than two decades since we saw each other. I was hoping we’d have a more civil conversation, Laura Cobbett.” There was a small flinch from Laura’s side, but she maintained her hateful stare.There was no use hiding anything from him, Laura recognized that much. “I’m assuming you already met Andrea since you came here with this…” Laura gave Madeline an up-and-down and said loathly, “…woman.”Madeline, after being rmentioned, smiled courteously at her. “Hello to you too, L
“Would you like to reschedule for another day?”“No, it has to be today. Just wait for me, I’ll be there soon.”Sebastian cursed under his breath. These Hollywood snobs and their entitled attitude. But he couldn’t lash out at the man now, can he? No, of course not. Or else, he’d never hear the end of it from his grandfather to the point of it costing him his position. That already happened to him before and he preferred not to experience it again.“Alright then, I’ll wait for a few more minutes.” He made sure to emphasize the last sentence. The producer may have thought that everyone would bow for a sliver of his time. But not the CEO of Elysian Pictures, Sebastian Adams wouldn’t let anyone waste his time. Most importantly today of all days, Robert and Ren’s wedding.“Fuck, they could be starting right now,” he said while looking at his watch. 4:15. Sebastian looked outside the restaurant’s glass walls. The sun was still very much there but he felt like his time was running out. He lo
The ceremony went smoothly as everyone had hoped, with the only exception of Robert stumbling over his words during the exchange of vows from being too overwhelmed. It garnered laughs from the crowd including the bride, much to his relief. The calm and collected assistant turning into a stuttering and nervous groom was always a sight to behold.“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride,” the minister informed them, garnering a cheer from the guest. Ren’s flushed face was pretty evident even from far away as Robert gently lifted the shoulder-length blusher veil.Andrea clapped from the sides with the biggest smile on her face. “Congratulations!” Every person from each side of the newlyweds gave them good wishes as Robert and Ren passed by, thanking them on the way.After half an hour of preparations, everyone from the wedding was now at the reception banquet, a wide outdoor tent large enough for hundreds of guests. The cool breeze sifted through the sheer curtai
“Sir, here are the photos from Robert Simon’s wedding.” The butler laid out pieces of photographs on Edmond’s table. As much as he wanted to go to Robert’s wedding, he knew that his appearance there would take the spotlight away from the couple. He hoped that house by the hills would be a good enough wedding gift though. He wanted to give him more, knowing how important his role was in their company. Sebastian was able to achieve everything faster because he had a reliable man beside him.“Oh, what do we have here?” Out of all the pictures, a certain grinning face caught his attention. “So the reason why Eugene Fray failed to meet up with my grandson is because he was at Robert’s wedding?” He picked it up and looked closer. Beside the Hollywood executive was a woman who was likewise smiling happily.“I also know who you are, Madam,” he spoke to the picture. His thumb brushed over Madeline’s face until it went down to another person. “This little girl, I don’t. But correct me, Geoffrey
“Dad, are you going somewhere? We have to be at the restaurant by 1. Robert and Ren are already on their way back home, so we can’t be late,” Andrea reminded Eugene who was for some reason dressed formally as if he was going to another wedding.Eugene adjusted his tie and checked his reflection in the mirror one more time before replying, “I know, honey. I just have this minor issue about work.” He headed for the door after giving his daughter and granddaughter a kiss on each of their foreheads. “See you there.”“Any idea where he’s going, Mom?” Andrea’s eyes narrowed when Madeline answered indifferently, “No idea. Oh well, it’s not like I’m involved with his business.”It made her suspicious. Mostly because Madeline just did what she usually would whenever she lied. She may be a lawyer but Andrea noticed her quirk whenever she told something false. Madeline would give her a smile with the left corner of her mouth twitched higher that the right, making her left eye squint more. Andrea
Robert repeatedly wiped his sweaty hands on his thighs. His eyes shifted from the windshield of the speeding car to the rearview mirror. He knew there was nothing to be seen but he found no other solution for the unease inside the vehicle.“Relax, Robert. I’m not going to crash the car,” Sebastian’s gruff voice sounded off.“It’s not that, Sir. I just- I should be the one driving you,” the assistant replied. “Where are we going anyway?” He asked as they veered off the highway to a more secluded pathway that was usually used by large vehicles like trucks. They’ve never gone through this route before.Sebastian’s hold on the steering wheel tightened and then eased as he answered, “I have to cover all bases first.” Before he showed up in front of Andrea again.After the unexpected meeting with the lost toddler and her mother, Sebastian became more convinced that Andrea left with secrets that he should have been privy to. But for him to face her again, he had to know fully what happened
"What am I clueless about?” Sebastian patiently asked. From the outside, his body was still and his manner composed. But inside, he badly wanted to take Alvis by the collar and then beat him until all his questions are answered or the guy bled to death, whichever came first.Alvis sneered, “You coming here just confirmed that you don’t know anything. But l was right all along, you are not good for Andy. I’ve told her that several times, you know? It took that night at the hotel for her to realize that.” Sebastian clenched his jaw at Alvis calling his ex-wife by her nickname while Robert was still unaware of their connection to each other. He hoped Ren was there to put the pieces together for him. He’ll just have to tell everything to his wife later once he got home.Clayton’s expression has now turned neutral. “So get your dumb fucking face out of here because you’re not getting anything from me.”Robert’s hand was already on Sebastian’s shoulder before he could even charge toward the
“Can you relax? We’ve prepared for the press release for months, we are good to go,” Andrea told Ren who was pacing her living room back and forth. Even Anastasia grew tired of moving her head from side to side watching her aunt stress herself out. The toddler had now returned to playing with her toys.“I know that! I’m just checking to make sure that they got the information right,” Ren defended herself.Ever since taking her hiatus from acting, Andrea still had Ren listed as her manager so that Elysian didn’t pass her on to another celebrity. Once she was sure that it was time to come out of her retirement, she and her manager cut off all ties with Elysian Pictures. That meant that neither of them did much entertainment-related work for the past three years. And it’s this that made Ren’s heart hammer in her chest.Andrea saw how uneasy her best friend was. “It’s not just the two of us anymore, Ren. We have all the help we could get. So as I said before, sit down and relax.”Thankful
“This, so far, is what I’ve decided to put in my book. If you’re reading this right now, then that means that I finally chose to let the world know my story. You may or may not have heard of me. I’ve been introduced to many names. Cobbett, Scout, Adams, and Fray. But I don’t want to let any of those affiliations define who I am. What I choose to do after everything that happened to me is what I believe determines me.” “Andy! Darren just texted. He and his wife are almost here. We can't miss your second Oscar nomination together!” Sebastian called out from outside the study. It was funny how in the end, Darren became much closer to Sebastian that it made Andrea jealous rather than the other way around. “Coming!” Andrea answered as she contentedly sealed the paper and placed it on top of a hardbound, azure book. She looked at it for a few seconds, getting lost in every letter. “Momma! Auntie Wen said to come quick!” A small boy with curly hair and brown eyes with golden flecks grapple
They couldn’t fully put everything behind them as Lilith was still nowhere to be found, but Sebastian and Andrea knew that it was time to move on. Maybe it was true what other people said about her. Maybe Lilith had found a reason that made her leave her life.After more than a year of coming to terms with their tragic past, Sebastian once again popped the question. He had flown everyone to the private island in the Maldives that he had rented before.“You bought it?” Andrea almost screamed when she learned that Sebastian didn’t rent the island for their honeymoon. Instead, he made it seem like he just leased it.“Yeah, I didn’t want to say anything because you were so judgemental of rich people. I didn’t want your first impression of me as your husband to be that of someone who buys things excessively,” Sebastian fibbed.He had already talked to everyone about his proposal except of course with Andrea. Eugene immediately agreed while Madeline gave him a stern warning and advice.So t
Weeks turned to months and no sign of the wanted criminal had emerged. Despite all their efforts, she was too slick in evading and hiding from authorities.But finally, the Adams, Frays, and their loved ones had slowly started to build a semblance of a normal life.After her warrant was sent out, Sebastian had also released his statement regarding the matter. He explained to the public how and why this all went down. They decided to keep it vague, not wanting to share every small detail. But enough for the people to understand what happened.And in this duration, the same people who hurled hateful comments at the actress now give her support. As they began to understand that the information they’d been fed was lies, they turned against the source of these. Lilith Quinn.And now, Andrea Fray had the opportunity to tell her story in her own words.Sat on a powder blue couch and facing a whole group of lights and cameras from all angles, the actress recounted the stories that she chose t
“He’s a good man, Harris,” Sebastian told Andrea who was cuddling against his chest. The two sat in her yard, enjoying the light sea breeze that passed by.“I know, that’s why he became my friend, “ she replied. “Look at you, getting all warmed up with Darren.” He didn’t know but Andrea was ecstatic that her partner and her closest male friend would be on good terms.“I’m not,” Sebastian tried to deny. “It’s only because he told me about you going to Clayton by yourself and the other stuff he did for you.”“That’s why I wish he could find his own happiness.” Andrea looked up at the sky and coincidentally, found a shooting star. For a brief moment, she closed her eyes and made the exact wish.“Why didn’t you wish for yourself or for me?” Sebastian questioned her with a sulky expression.“Are you kidding? I’ve already found my happiness.” Andrea gestured at where they were and who they were with.In front of them was Anastasia. The toddler was so engrossed with the film that was playing
“You are not your fear, Andrea. You are not your trauma,” Andrea said her usual chant as she got out of her car and faced the menacing high, concrete walls of Fort Havenshaw.“I can do this, I chose to do this,” she whispered with eyes shut. The dread had finally caught up to her. Andrea’s bravado had waned the nearer she was to that person.When she told the hesitant Darren that she could do it, Andrea thought that she could. But now, she’s convinced that it was just false toughness.Andrea couldn’t feel the tip of her fingertips as her whole body had turned rigid. As opposed to the bright, sunny day that graced them, an unknown source of penetrating cold had entered her body. It didn’t plan to leave anytime soon.A part of her said, “It’s not too late to turn back. You still haven’t gotten inside the prison.”Andrea’s eyes went back and forth, from the fort entrance to her car handle. A drop of sweat had begun to roll down the side of her face. “Shit!” She exclaimed as Andrea reache
“You heard what Monique said. We can only secure Lilith’s conviction if we get a confession. I know it’s a shot in the dark. But if there’s a possibility of Alvis having a recording of Lilith, then it’s worth it,” Andrea firmly said.It made Darren sigh heavily. He scratched his nape, daunted by Andrea’s strategy. He asked, “And you’re not having any second thoughts about this?”She nodded her head sharply. “I’m a hundred percent sure. Sebastian could only hold off Lilith’s scheme on the wedding for so long.”“What does he think about this?”He noticed her flinch when he asked the question. “He doesn’t know,” Darren answered for himself.Andrea grimaced at the fact and said, “I’ll tell him once it’s done. That way, we could save ourselves the trouble.” She only confided with Darren about her plan because he was the most understanding of all her friends.“I’ll go with you,” Darren insisted. These past days of hanging out with just the two of them brought him back to the past. Back when
“The evidence you gave us is very good. But a confession from Quinn would solidify this case so that the jury doesn’t find reasonable doubt to convict her,” the counselors and detective working on Lilith’s case told Andrea’s group.“We can arrest her now on these grounds, but we’re very sure that she would clam up and call the best lawyers their money could buy. And we all know how that will turn out.”They became familiar with the process. Lilith’s lawyers would talk directly with the court that she was not being lawfully held despite the mounting evidence against her. She wouldn’t even spend a night in jail because of who she was. A millionaire heiress so of course, the judge would favor her. Then she’d get out and wreak havoc into their lives as if nothing happened.Their hearts sank after hearing that all their efforts could do was a small dent in Lilith's case.“There’s a possibility that we can win this case,” the lead prosecutor, Monique Perrin, informed them. “But her admittin
When Sebastian heard Andrea yell out, he was ready to attack the person and run amok in her house. But when she turned to see who it was, Andrea was already squeezing the guy with a bear hug. “Oh, it’s you! Gosh, I don’t know what I would have done if it wasn’t!” She blurted out, her chest still heaving at high speed. “I’m sorry, Andy. I was rushing because I thought I was late. They told me to be here hours ago, that’s why I just barged in like that. Sorry,” Darren replied, giving her a light, comforting pat on the back. Sebastian’s posture stiffened as the Simon couple eyed the three of them cautiously. Robert was about to get up from the couch to be beside his boss, in case worse came to worst. But Ren quickly pulled her down. “You disrupt this drama, I will go on a rampage,” she warned him. Still oblivious to the brittle atmosphere that was created by Darren’s sudden arrival, Andrea continued to face her friend while holding both his hands. She began to bombard him with apolog
“So I’m guessing you two are on good terms now, huh?” Ren mused after seeing Andrea and Sebastian share another glance that could only be described as coy. The billionaire was visiting the Fray house and at the moment was spending his after-work time with his daughter.“Put it on top. There. Not the owange one! It has to be bwue!“ Anastasia pointed and ordered Sebastian and Robert where to place the blocks as they assembled a building that replicated her father’s company.Andrea giggled at her daughter’s bossiness. Who else but her father would she get that kind of attitude from?She scoffed at her best friend, “Of course, we should be for Ana’s sake.” It had been days since they got back together again. Though the two chose to keep their relationship hidden for a while, at least until they’ve sorted out the Lilith issue.Ren rolled her eyes and sighed, “Oh please, Andy. Even a blind person would easily know that you two are on more than good terms. If you know what I’m saying.” She w