"You sure about this, Jax?"The question came from Lila, her voice no more than a whisper. She leaned in closer; the dim glow of newsroom monitors flickering against her sharp, worried eyes. Jaxon didn't answer right away. He just stared at the screen in front of him, the article ready, the damning evidence laid out in black and white: Ethan Lancaster's crimes, every single one of them, about to hit the world like an earthquake."Jax." Lila nudged his arm.Jaxon exhaled sharply, fingers hovering over the keyboard. "Yeah," he muttered. "I’m sure."Lila hesitated. “Once this goes out, there’s no turning back.”He turned to her, his expression hard. “There was no turning back the moment Ethan thought he could get away with it.” His jaw clenched. “I’m just making sure he doesn’t.”She studied him for a long moment before nodding. “Alright. Then let’s do it.”Jaxon hit publish.The newsroom felt eerily quiet while the screen refreshed, the headline blinking at them, a light on the hill. Wi
"You think it's really over?"Isabel's voice came out soft, uncertain. She stood by the window, her arms wrapped around herself as she stared out into the quiet night. The city hummed down below, but up here in Jaxon's apartment, everything felt still. Peaceful.Jaxon leaned against the counter in the kitchen and watched her. He could hear the hesitation in her voice, the fact that she almost didn't believe it. And honestly? He got it. After everything, after years of looking over their shoulders, after the fear, the threats, the chaos-just like that, it was over."It's over," he said, his voice firm.She turned to him then, her dark eyes searching his. "How do you know?"Jaxon pushed off the counter and crossed the room to her. He took her hands in his, running his thumbs over her knuckles. "Because Ethan's not coming back from this. He's not some untouchable force anymore. He's just a guy in handcuffs now."Her breath caught slightly, and for what felt like the first time in forever
"Isabel? Isabel!"Jaxon barely caught her before she hit the floor. One second, she was standing by his desk, flipping through a report, and the next, she was collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut.His heart slammed against his ribs as he lowered her gently to the ground. Her skin was pale, too pale, and her breathing was shallow."God damn it, Isabel, open your eyes!" His voice was rough, frantic. He pressed his fingers to her wrist-her pulse was there, but weak."Call an ambulance!" he barked toward his assistant, who was already scrambling for the phone.Seconds became an eternity. The office was too quiet but for the pounding of his heartbeat in his ears. Then, just when he was going to totally lose his mind, she stirred.A soft groan.Jaxon huffed, the grip on her tightening. "Hey, hey, stay with me," he whispered. "You're okay. Just-just breathe."Her eyelids fluttered open, dark lashes trembling against her cheeks. Confusion flickered across her face. "Jax…?""I'm right
I have no idea how long I have been here. Five minutes. Five hours. When all that you think you knew about your life morphs into something else in a second, time tends to take on a weird bend.Jaxon hasn't said a word. Neither have I. I think we are both just…frozen.Ladd's words are no more than a nasty joke-ridicule-that lingered in my brain: You're pregnant.Pregnant. Me.I've always been careful. I always took precautions. Hell, I put in years into having my career on target, and just for one damn second, I really may have it figured out.Now?There is a baby growing inside me.I glance over at Jaxon. He's been pacing the room like a caged animal. His jaw's tight, his brow furrowed in deep thought. His eyes haven't left me since the doctor left, and I can feel the weight of his stare, as if he is trying to solve some complex problem.I really can't read his face.I really can't even guess what he's thinking.I try to speak, but my throat seems to close over. The words seem lodged
I can't believe what I'm hearing. The words the doctor said are still ringing in my ears, like a song I can't turn off. You're pregnant.I glance at Jaxon, watching his expression go from worried and tense to something entirely different. It's like something inside him flips—his eyes light up, and before I can even process what's happening, he's lifting me off my feet.Jaxon! What the hell-?" I gasp, laughing and half-panicking as he twirls me around.His arms are firm around me, and his grin stretches from ear to ear. "You're giving me another child, mi amor!" His voice is soft, but there's this overwhelming joy in it that I've never heard before. "We're going to be a real family.It hit me like a punch, but it's a good one. He's so contagious that for a second, I forget about the nerves, forget the uncertainty brewing inside. All that matters right now is he's so damn happy.I stare at him in incredulity. "You are not. you are not angry?He laughs; a deep rumbling sound that makes m
"I am serious, Isabel," Jaxon says, his voice calm but with an intensity that doesn't leave room for argument. He stands in front of me, his hands on his hips, his eyes locked onto mine. "We have come this far. There is no reason to wait any longer. I want to marry you. I want to make this official."I blink, taken aback. My head is racing, but for one moment, I am at a loss for words. I mean, we talked about the future, right? The baby, the life we're building together, but marriage? Now?"Jaxon, I don't know…" I trail off, shaking my head. "I just—I don't think I'm ready for that just yet."He steps closer, his hands softening to lay gently on my shoulders, stroking his thumb across the skin. The simple touch soothes me far more than I care to admit."You don't have to be ready now. I'm not saying we have to do it tomorrow. But I have waited long enough, Isabel. You and me, we are in this for the long run. I want you to be my wife, to be my forever."I let out a sigh, feeling that p
I am not sure where, between the madness of wedding preparations and nights of talking till the wee hours of the morning, but somehow, I just found myself falling deep in love all over again. For the first time in so long, I wasn't double-guessing every little thing in our relationship. And Jaxon? Well, he'd been there for it all-up and down. But today? Today was different."Isabel," Jaxon calls to me, his voice soft, just loud enough to pull me from the daze I've been lost in. I look up from the window where I've been watching the rain slide down the glass, the sky outside as Gray as the thoughts I've been battling with. But his voice cuts through it all."Yeah?" I finally turn around, looking at him, and he stands there, holding a small box in his hand, his eyes sparkling with something I don't quite know."Come here for a second," he says, his lips tugged up in this small smile-a smile that has my heart faltering every single time I catch sight of it, like it's a promise.My stomac
"Guess what, Hazel?" Jaxon asks, folding to his knees to her level. She sits cross-legged on the couch, playing with her favourite toy car, rolling it back and forth like she's in her own little world. But the moment he speaks, her big brown eyes light up, and she looks up at him with curiosity.What, Daddy?" she asks, her tone bursting with curiosity, as if something new has just been unfolded.I stand right behind Jaxon, trying not to let the grin crawl all over my face at the clear exertion in trying to bite it back for himself. It is something that feels like the thrumming of my heart-just watching him hold his breath, seeing eyes so filled with this silent happiness-makes me feel as if I were at the verge of something very significant.Guess what's growing in Mommy's belly?" Jaxon continues, looking at me sideways with that lovey-dovey smile of his that melts me every time.Hazel turns to one side, her hair bouncing with curly wisps, and thinks for a second. "What?Jaxon lets out
Two more snows had fallen. The members of the international class noticed that ever since Maureen returned from the final round, the atmosphere between her and their "boss" seemed to have subtly changed. Before the final round, they seemed inseparable, obviously lovebirds. After the finals, who knows what happened? Or if it's just their imagination, but Maureen appeared to care more about their "boss," almost like an eagle protecting a chick. For instance, their class advisor, Teacher Logan. Because of Liam, Teacher Logan hadn't received a performance bonus in three years, and his resentment was more than justified. Finally, after Maureen transferred into their class this semester, the number of incidents involving Liam dramatically decreased. Teacher Logan thought he could relax a bit, but the last school celebration performance was unexpectedly changed by Liam! The school leaders were furious. Now, this month's bonus was gone again! Teacher Logan was so enraged with Liam th
The two hadn't had their fill over there, so they decided to cook some noodles when they got back. "I'm actually a little angry." Maureen stirred the noodles in the pot with a long pair of spoons, her tone still choked with emotion. She avoided looking at Liam, her eyes lowered on the boiling water and the tumbling noodles in the pot, her eyes rimmed red, "I asked you before, about the wound on your neck, you told me that the instant noodle glass bowl exploded! Do you have no heart, no feelings?" Maureen couldn't help but drop her Spoon. She should have realized it long ago, she had been living there for so long, and she had never seen Liam eat instant noodles - his refrigerator was completely empty, not a single instant noodle or glass bowl, what noodles was he supposedly making?! Liam was always lying to her! Seeing Maureen crying all the way back in the cold wind, her eyes swollen to the size of walnuts, Liam felt deeply distressed. He lightly patted Maureen's back, trying t
Maureen was the first to take a bath. After Liam entered the bathroom, Maureen wandered around the apartment in her fluffy pajamas, bored out of her mind. Being in love is such a fascinating thing. Before, besides studying, she found dramas and games enjoyable. Yet, after falling in love, when he was not by her side even for a moment, she got bored no matter what she did. Nothing was as fun as spending time with Liam. She wanted to do everything with him, whether it was watching dramas or eating. Just one glance from him, and her feelings could experience the dramatic waves, drowning in the deep ocean, the best bite of a summer watermelon, or the tartest segment of an orange. The spacious apartment changed gradually after Maureen moved in. Maureen was like an invader, painting the previously icy and quiet apartment with colors everywhere. She was afraid of the cold, so Liam always had the heater on, causing the previous bone-chilling feeling to disappear. She was afraid of t
There's a small step at the entrance where shoes are changed. Liam leans on the shoe cabinet to stand up, and Mr. Boris carries his wheelchair in. Liam hops up on one foot. He glances at Maureen, trying to hop in a nonchalant and handsome manner. But how cool and handsome could he possibly look hopping around on a single foot? Liam feels a bit embarrassed, murmuring discontented, "Who decided to put this step here?" Maureen watches from the side, her heart pounding. She subconsciously raises her hand to help him, fearing a second injury due to a slippery tiled floor. However, Liam, who seems to intentionally show off his skills, or something like that, refuses her help and smoothly completes a series of movements. Maureen: "Once he's up, Mr. Boris quickly pushes the wheelchair behind him. He holds onto the handles, sits back down in the wheelchair, raises one plastered leg, and with great effort, positions his plastered foot correctly. He then raises his handsome eyebrows a
The next day, Teacher Logan specifically noticed that it was again Maureen who was pushing Liam's wheelchair into the classroom. The group of boys in the class were extremely envious, while Liam coolly tucked his hands into his pockets, raised his chin, and wore noise-canceling headphones around his neck. He looked both arrogant and pleased. Liam wished he could show off Maureen to the entire world. Teacher Logan, on the other hand, was extremely frustrated. Right after the class, Teacher Logan asked Maureen to his office with a stern face. "Has someone been bullying you in the class recently?" Maureen was taken aback,?" No." Teacher Logan sighed deeply and said, "Maureen, you can tell me if someone is bullying you. I will back you up." Maureen thought for a moment and really couldn't think of anyone who could bully her. In fact, when she transferred to the international class, she had made the most important decision to stick with Liam. This could be the so-called stra
The three of them came out of KFC, it was so blistering cold that Liam put Maureen's hand into his own pocket. Niel, with his sharp eyes, suddenly called out to Maureen and pointed in a direction with his milk tea in hand, he said: "Am I seeing things, or is that Bianca? Is she dating someone now?" Bianca's contract with the talent agency, Maureen heard about it too. For the past month, Maureen had barely seen Bianca in school. She seemed to have disappeared completely from her sight, someone she used to bump into every few days on the streets. The main reason was that even though the controversy of the true and false heiress was over, Bianca still faced some stares. If it wasn't for the sake of graduation, Bianca wouldn't want to attend school at all. She spent most of her time in society, working. So, seeing Bianca again out of the blue at the school gate was quite a surprise for Maureen. She followed the direction Niel pointed and glanced over. Outside Secondary School wa
"Sir," The butler came in with a phone in hand. "The hospital replied they are willing to sell, but," Under Augustin’s gaze, he swallowed hard before continuing. "The price is three times higher than what we previously sold it for." "Three times?!" Victoria widened her eyes in surprise, her voice sharp. "This is downright robbery!!" Augustin’s eyes darkened, his face looking extremely unsightly. "Did they specify why the increase in price?" "They said someone is willing to purchase at a high price, which led to the price hike." The butler nodded affirmatively. "So, do you still want to buy it?" Augustin pressed his lips together. Before he could even speak, Victoria on the side grabbed the opportunity to interject. "We cannot buy it,” There was a hint of anger on her slightly chubby face. "Augustine, we can't be the scapegoats." "What do you know?" Augustin looked at her with deep, mysterious eyes, his voice icy. "In a few days, it will be grandpa Luther's birthday ban
The house was dead quiet. The type of quiet that feels too still, as if everything were holding its breath. The letter had left its mark, but I tried to shove it away. We'd already been through enough, and I refused to let something like this get the better of us. Jaxon was right; it was only a prank. Nothing more.Already Hazel had gone to bed, which left Jaxon and me still sitting in the living room trying to process it all. I was holding our son, this tiny little ball of a boy cuddled into my side, his soft, light breath a reminder of the fragility but beauty life had become. And in this uneventful drive home, at least, I felt normal settle over us.Jaxon sat across from me, his eyes scanning the letter again, as if willing it to change. He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. “It doesn’t make sense. Who would want to hurt us now?”I shrugged, glancing down at our baby’s sleeping face. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s someone who never really let go.”He let out a deep sigh. "
Laughter and murmurs of quiet conversation filled the house. It was so still, so right with the world. I had never felt this relaxed in my life. I was seated on the couch, Hazel perched on the arm beside me, as we watched Jaxon bounce our son in his arms. He looked so natural with the baby, like he had done this all his life. And in many ways, he had-just never with a child of his own. But that didn't matter. We were here, together; our little family was complete."Did you see the way he smiled?" Hazel laughed. "He's definitely a charmer. Takes after his dad."Jaxon was smirking, rocking the baby gently. "I think he is more like his mom. Look at those big eyes."I grinned, knowing full well what he meant. The baby had my eyes, sure, but he also got my stubbornness. I could tell that already.But before I could answer, there came a soft knock on the door. I turned, wondering who it could be. It was still early, and I wasn't expecting anyone. Jaxon stood up, a bit too quick, and I caugh