"Don't be late! I don't want us to miss the flight because of you!" It was the second time Vincent had called Troy. He seemed worried that Troy might back out of going to Austin, Texas, in the States—the city they were heading to.Troy put his phone away and turned to Sarah."Who was that? Grandpa again?" Sarah asked as she handed Troy his navy blue suit jacket."Darling..."Sarah was startled when Troy suddenly hugged her tightly. She could feel his anxiety.'What is this feeling? Why does it feel so hard to let him go? Dear God, please protect my husband,' Sarah prayed silently, her heart feeling heavy."Are you still taking me to the airport?" Troy asked after softly kissing her on the lips.Sarah, already dressed smartly for the office, had planned to head there after dropping Troy at the airport."Yes, darling," Sarah replied, gathering the courage to return her husband's kiss.Troy smiled widely, his heart racing as he heard Sarah call him "darling" for the first time. H
"Sir, we need to leave now. Your grandfather just called me again!" the driver urged, noticing that Troy hadn’t moved from the terrace."Oh, yes... Let's go!" Troy quickly approached the car and got inside.The car began to move, pulling away from the house. But Troy’s gaze remained fixed on Prince's bedroom window.He sighed heavily several times, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. As the car drove further away, Troy could only resign himself to the separation from his wife and children. He hoped that the challenges ahead would be resolved quickly.Half an hour later, Troy tried to call Sarah on her phone. But after several attempts, she didn't answer. His expression tightened with worry, so he decided to call Lily instead."Hello, sir."Troy breathed a sigh of relief when Lily answered right away."Where’s my wife? How’s Prince?" Troy asked, his breath quickening."Prince just fell asleep in his room with the babysitter. Your wife is talking to Dr. Kevin in the living room."
"Why can't I reach Troy?" Sarah muttered in frustration. She had tried calling Troy multiple times, but his phone was still off.Sighing, Sarah placed her phone on the bedside table. She decided to bring Prince to sleep in her room. The little one was still fussy, and even by midnight, Sarah couldn't sleep as Prince kept waking up, demanding to be nursed.As the night wore on, Sarah began to feel hungry and thirsty. She didn't want to wake the nannies, and she couldn't leave Prince alone in the room. So, she decided to head to the kitchen, carrying Prince with her.'Troy, if only you were here. I wouldn't be alone. You'd be here with me,' Sarah thought with a heavy heart, feeling the loneliness press down on her.Troy would have made her a glass of milk. He would have fed her, too. Tears escaped her eyes before she realized it. Since Prince was born, Troy had always been attentive in taking care of them. He was so focused on her health."Troy... I miss you," Sarah whispered, her v
'Damn it! Who dares to play games with me?'Troy slammed his fist on the table in front of him, his face darkening as anger surged through him. His chest heaved with each breath, and the certainty grew within him that the destruction of his company was an inside job. Someone who knew his business intimately was responsible, though he had only one suspect in mind. But there could be others involved as well."I need to prove this myself," Troy muttered, grabbing his coat and car keys. He stormed out of the high-rise building, where he rented an entire floor for his company.The house he was staying in wasn't far from the office. Within fifteen minutes, he arrived home, where several household staff were employed."Good evening, Mr. Peterson. Dinner is ready," one of the staff members greeted him as he entered.Troy only nodded as he made his way to his room.His gaze fell on a large painting that dominated one wall of the bedroom. It was a ritual for him to look at it every time he
Crash!"Ah!" Sarah screamed as the glass she was holding suddenly slipped from her grasp. The ceramic glass shattered into pieces on the kitchen floor.'What a bad omen. Did something happen to Troy?' Sarah stood frozen, staring at the shards scattered near her feet. Out of nowhere, her heart began to race. She had gone to the kitchen to get a drink, but suddenly, her thoughts turned to Troy. Her chest tightened, her hands trembled, and the glass slipped from her fingers."It's fine, ma'am. Let me clean that up." One of the housekeepers appeared, having heard the sound of breaking glass. She bent down near Sarah, with a broom in hand."Would you like a drink, ma'am? Let me get it for you," another housekeeper offered as she approached Sarah, who was still deep in thought.Sarah snapped back to reality, looking at the two housekeepers."I'm sorry, please bring me a glass of water to my room.""Yes, ma'am."Sarah turned and walked back to her room, thinking it might be best to ca
"Are you seriously thinking about going to the States?" Carrie stared at Sarah in disbelief. Their lunch had been momentarily interrupted when Sarah suddenly mentioned wanting to follow Troy.Sarah shifted her gaze, her expression anxious. She set the spoon in her hand down on the edge of her plate."I honestly don't know what else to do. It's been three days now, and I can't get in touch with my own husband. I have no idea if he's okay." Sarah's big eyes began to mist over as she fought back tears."Drink this first." Carrie handed Sarah a glass of guava juice, hoping it would help calm her down.Sarah took the glass and sipped it slowly."Have you tried contacting any of his family or someone else over there?" Carrie asked again."I have." Sarah's voice was hoarse, and Carrie looked at her friend with sympathy as she waited for Sarah to continue. Meanwhile, Carrie resumed eating her lunch."I called his grandfather. But... It seemed like he was hiding something. I wasn't allow
"Who are you really?" Derrick asked, eyeing the man in the light brown suit with suspicion.The man chuckled. "Relax, there's no need to worry about being kidnapped. Besides, what makes you think you're important enough to be kidnapped?"Derrick grunted in frustration but deep down, he knew the stranger had a point."I'll explain everything in the car," the man continued.Derrick gave the man a wary look but ultimately decided to go along. The hardships he was facing left him with little choice.'Maybe the pay is good,' he thought as he stepped into the white SUV.Derrick watched the scenery pass by as they drove north. His thoughts drifted to Kendall and their child, who hadn't eaten since morning.He wondered how he had ended up back with Kendall. He should have gone back to Sarah, but he knew that Sarah would never take him back. Troy Peterson was no match for him. Derrick had felt sorry for Kendall when she showed up crying, looking almost like a street beggar, with a thin
"Money? Is this really money, Derrick?" Kendall's eyes widened as she saw the bills spill out from the brown envelope."What did you think it was? French fries?" Derrick snapped, irritated."Now we're talking! I can finally buy some skincare and nice clothes," Kendall added as she eagerly gathered the bills that had scattered on the floor."Don't even think about it! And don't be wasteful! This money is for food and rent. Set some aside for emergencies. Chloe is still young. If she suddenly gets sick, we need to have some savings," Derrick warned, glaring at Kendall."Derrick, you haven't changed. You're still stingy!" Kendall muttered as she walked over to the cupboard to store the money in the envelope.Derrick could only sigh in frustration, watching Kendall's behavior, which always managed to get under his skin.That night, Derrick decided to drink tea and eat leftover rice with the crackers on the table. Meanwhile, Kendall bought takeout for herself and Chloe.Derrick thoug