The event wrapped up around midday."Mommy, Daddy, let's go home!" Gillian seemed very happy. She held both Sarah's and Troy's hands, occasionally jumping with joy."Gillian, he's not your real dad, is he?" Suddenly, they stopped in their tracks as a boy around Gillian's age stood blocking their path."David! This is my dad. You saw him on stage earlier, didn't you?" Gillian's voice started to crack.Troy gently patted his little girl's back. Then he crouched down to be at eye level with the boy Gillian called David."Hey, your name is David? You must be a brave boy!" Troy smiled at David.David nodded with a proud smile."A brave boy should protect his friends, not make them sad.""Y-yes." The smile on David's face quickly faded."Now, can you tell me who said I would marry your aunt?"David suddenly fell silent and scratched his head nervously.Troy patiently waited for the boy's answer."Umm... my mom. My mom said that." David spoke in a half-whisper."David! Come on, l
"Feel free to look around the restaurant." A young woman dressed formally, the restaurant manager, invited Sarah to enter. This restaurant was the place where Troy and Sarah's engagement would be held.Meanwhile, Troy was taking care of some paperwork in a small office-like room."Thank you!" Sarah was holding Gillian's hand, and walked around the restaurant, which had a natural ambiance. There were many trees and a playground with an open area."Mommy, there's a fish pond over there!" Gillian seemed to really like the place.Sarah's mind was still preoccupied as she hadn't spoken to Celine yet."So, what do you think? Do you like it?" Suddenly, Troy was behind Sarah, startling her and interrupting her thoughts."I love it. I really do. Look at her. She's also awed by the atmosphere here." Sarah pointed to Gillian, who was intently watching the fish in the pond under the bamboo gazebos.Troy's smile widened. He took Sarah's hand and led her over to where Gillian was."I've alre
"Troy...? Are you here?" Lucy almost jumped, realizing Troy's presence as he suddenly stood near the door.The handsome man's sharp eyes were fixed on Lucy's face, which had turned pale.'What's going on here? Why are Carol and David's mother here?' Troy thought to himself, slipping both hands into his pants pockets. He looked at each woman in the room."Hey, Troy, how are you? So, it turns out you're related to Aunt Lucy? Wow, it really is a small world!" Sensing the tension on Troy's face, Carol stood up from the sofa and walked over to him.Troy smiled sarcastically. He suspected that the three women in front of him were scheming something.Meanwhile, Rosie, David's mother, didn't dare to move. She just sat silently in her chair, her head lowered."Come on, have a seat, Troy. What brings you here so late? It's unusual for you to come by at night." Lucy approached her nephew and led him to sit on one of the sofas.Troy sighed deeply. He decided not to discuss his suspicions an
"I will pick up Mom from the airport this afternoon. Do you want to come?" Alex finished his breakfast.Sarah weakly shook her head."I'll just wait at home. I'll prepare the room for your mom."Alex let out a frustrated sigh, knowing that was just an excuse. His mind was a bit unsettled after hearing about Sarah and Troy's engagement, which was happening sooner than he had expected."I'm heading to the office," Alex said softly. He then stood up and walked past Sarah, who was still enjoying her breakfast.Alex got into his car. On the drive to the office, he thought about the conversation he had with his mother, Celine, on the phone last night."Make sure all Albert's assets end up in your hands.""But, Mom, what if they're already in their son's name, Prince?""Don't be foolish, Alex. If you can marry Sarah, everything will be much easier.""But Sarah already has a boyfriend, and they're planning to get engaged soon," Alex replied, sounding unenthusiastic."What? Engaged? Y
"Celine?!" Sarah nearly jumped when she saw her mother-in-law."Hello, dear Sarah," Celine immediately stepped in and hugged Sarah tightly."How are you? I'm sorry I didn't go to the airport to pick you up," Sarah said after they released their embrace."It's okay, dear. Oh, is this my grandson?" Celine's gaze shifted to Prince, who was calmly in Troy's arms."Oh yes. L-let me introduce you to Troy Peterson," Sarah said nervously as she introduced Troy to Celine. But she wasn't brave enough yet to tell her about their engagement, which was happening tomorrow.Troy nodded politely at Celine when the older woman turned to look at him. However, Celine's expression seemed less than friendly."Please come in! I'll just walk Troy to the door for a moment."Celine gave a slight nod, her gaze still fixed on Troy, who seemed familiar to her. She continued to watch as Troy walked out with Sarah."Why does he seem familiar?" Celine muttered."What's wrong?" Alex, who had just come in, wa
"I apologize for informing you about this so suddenly. The truth is, Troy only proposed to me a few days ago," Sarah tried to explain.Celine shot an irritated glance at Alex. If her son had acted faster, this engagement wouldn't be happening, she thought.Alex understood that his mother was very angry with him. He could only look down in silence."I'm sorry, Sarah. You should have discussed this with me first, instead of making decisions on your own. After all, Prince is Albert's child—the sole heir to all of Albert's assets, including the company. Your fiancé stands to gain a huge company and all of Albert's wealth so easily," Celine's tone grew more heated."Oh, Troy isn't interested in taking over Albert's company or assets at all. During his lifetime, Albert entrusted me and the children to Troy. That was Albert's final request to him.""Hah! That's just what he told you. It's so easy to deceive you." Celine's anger intensified.Sarah didn't respond. She understood that Celi
"Let's have breakfast at the restaurant. I've arranged a comfortable room so the kids won't get tired or bored."Troy drove his car at a moderate speed. In truth, all the preparations for his engagement to Sarah were complete. But for some reason, Troy didn't want to be far from Sarah and her two children today. He had a strong sense of concern about the engagement. Troy didn't want anything to go wrong. He just wanted to ensure Sarah and her children were safe and sound.Troy's luxury car pulled into the parking area of a grand two-story restaurant. Sarah noticed several of Troy's men stationed around the restaurant. Security seemed very tight, with guards even at the restaurant's gate."Troy, why is security so tight?" Sarah asked, looking around."You know many people don't want our engagement to happen. That's why I've tightened security. You and the kids must be safe with me."Warmth flowed through Sarah's heart. Troy had always been vigilant. He had saved her family more tha
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention as the event is about to begin."The emcee's voice boomed. Troy and Sarah traded glances as if giving each other strength. They knew that people close to them who disapproved of this engagement were definitely present in the restaurant.Troy took his phone out of his pants pocket."What's the situation? Is everything secure?"Troy listened carefully to the explanation from his trusted person. Sarah watched him with a pounding heart. Not long after, Troy ended the call."Sarah, did you invite Derrick?""What? Of course not. Why? Is there a problem?" Sarah grew more anxious upon hearing the name of her ex-husband."Daddy... I don't want to meet him. I'm... scared." Gillian also appeared frightened as soon as she heard her father's name. She wrapped her arms around Troy's leg. The man gently stroked Gillian's head."You two just stay calm, okay?"Troy reached for his phone again."We didn't invite Derrick Dane. Find him and get hi