Layla“We need to talk, Layla…” Henry said on the morning of my meeting with Amanda Donaldson. My heart leaped in its cage. Though he was on the phone and was not present with me, I was still reluctant to speak with him.After Nathan had dragged him to the nursery two days ago, we hadn't talked or said much about what had happened between us. In fact, I wished he would just let it go, but apparently, he didn't have that in mind.“Can we meet? Should I come over?”“No, no…we can meet outside…somewhere else. I'm actually on my way to meet with Amanda, so today is unlikely,” I responded.“Yeah, sorry, I almost forgot…”“Yeah.” I breathed.“Which day works for you?”I thought for a moment, I didn't want to talk to him, but it couldn't be evaded.“How about Saturday?” I finally said.“Cool,” he replied.“Yeah.”“Have a nice trip then.”“Thanks.” I hung up. I sighed. Things didn't have to come to this, did they? I was so bothered, I had misplaced my constraint, and now I was suffering bec
“A minute.” I thought I should say hi to her.“Sure,” Kimberly said with eyes not unfixed to the painting. I crossed the room.“Mr. Cooper?” Amanda saw me before I could even reach her.“How are you doing? I was over there, and I didn't expect to see you here.” I shook hands with her with a warm smile on my face.“Oh, my…I came here with a friend. She left just a while ago.” She smiled.“That's great.”“This is Jackson…another friend.” She introduced the hefty man to me.“Jackson. I'm Leo.” And then we exchanged pleasantries before Kimberly walked up to the stage to make an announcement.“For every purchase made in the gallery, there is a thirty percent discount!”The crowd cheered.“... I'm sure everyone wants to buy something now.” She smiled just as Celine appeared.“You have a call, sir.” She informed.“Who's it?” I asked, moving close to her.“It's from President Xi.” She responded.“Hold on. I'll return the call. Let me see Kimberly. We are leaving.” I said and made my way towa
SofiaLuckily, I found room in the front seats. There were so many people shielded under the canopy and everyone was trying to keep warm. There was a particular boy who was sulking beside me. He had spilled all of his coffee on his woolen cardigan. I wondered who he had come with. I looked around for Charlene. Likewise, I expected to see her, but I didn't. Why wasn't she here?“Hey!” Eugene crossed the field, waving at me. His hair was already covered in snow, and he was wearing a sweatshirt underneath his jersey.“Hey.”He beamed his childish smile at me. “Thanks for coming.”I nodded.“Grey man!” The team coach yelled from the field.“That's me. Talk to you later.” He winked and ran along just as Charlene appeared next to me.“I had looked around for you…”“I was in the dorm,” she sat down. “He invited you, right?” She cocked her head towards Eugene. The coach was specifically giving him instructions.“Yeah. I owe him just this once,” I replied.“He likes you, and you don't have t
Now that I had control over Ethan, it began to feel like I was committing some sort of felony. A part of me suggested I withdraw from my revenge plan, but another part of me had this kind of vengeance that could not be sated until I brought Ethan down. I fidgeted with the seemingly harmless-looking device that Mr. Varny had delivered to me. Unknown to Ethan, his movements and actions are now under my watch. It was normal to feel so elated having possessed a great weapon against a great enemy, but I wasn't elated, I just wanted to put him in his place, that was all, and particularly get back what was mine.“What is your next plan?” I heard Henry's voice behind me. He went around the sofa and sat next to me.“I'm awaiting Mr. Gould's response. Meanwhile, I will keep a record of Ethan's every movement, particularly his mysterious lover. I doubt Chloe knows about it, but I wouldn't be surprised if she knew…they are birds of a feather.” I reclined on the chair. He was staring into my fac
LeoI sniffed the air, hoping Nathan would not have another outburst. A car swerved just as a young lady rushed to meet me.“Hello, sir.” Her cheeks were flushed.“Hello.” I wondered what she wanted from me. She looked pretty young and quite fashionable.“I'm Zoe…" She uttered fast as she tried to catch her breath.“Zoe?” I raised a brow at her.Do I know her somewhere?Probably not.“Yes, and I'm an absolute fan of yours.”“Okay?”“See you later, Miss Adelaide!” A female voice called behind us, but when I turned to see who it was, I only saw a woman walking towards us.“Sir?” Zoe tried to gain back my attention. I thought the voice sounded familiar.“Hello, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you sir, I am Miss Adelaide.” She was an older woman and the corners of her eyes were slightly wrinkled.“It's a pleasure to meet you, too.” I shook hands with her, wondering where the caller might have gone. Her voice was quite disturbing.“What has brought you here, sir?” She asked with a broad smi
LaylaBeads of sweat were gathering on Georgina's forehead, despite the chill brought by the AC. I had never seen her so tense before. I was tense, too. Sofia was missing. She had been missing since lunch at school. No one had seen signs of her since then. I could see Charlene's grave face from the driver's mirror. She must be feeling guilty.“Are you sure we are going in the right direction?” I asked her.“Yes, she's probably there.” Her voice shook as I sped on. It was late, and we all hoped to find Sofia soon. I hoped she was fine and not hurt in any way. Hannah kept on calling to find out if we had found her. She wanted to involve the police, but I reminded her of the law that was stated as regards a missing person. Literally, everyone was trying not to show their anxiety and fears.“It's going to be fine,” I assured Georgina. She gave a slight nod. Even if an assurance, I couldn't bear the thought of something bad happening to Sofia.Georgina's silence, I knew, meant more than it
Hannah was standing aloof next to the car when we all went outside.“What happened back there?” I wanted to know as I got closer to her.“Can we go now?” She grimaced, evading my question.“I'm sorry, Mrs. Carter.” Sofia apologized. She ignored the girl and took her seat at the back.“Come on, let's go. She must be tired.” Georgina urged the girls. I entered the car and we finally drove away.The ride was awfully quiet, it made me rather uncomfortable. It was obvious that Sofia was still angry with Charlene. Though the latter had attempted to make peace, she wasn't just ready, I guessed. Georgina kept on yawning until she alighted at the closest terminal to her house. Sofia was and had always been in good hands, she believed. I noticed that Charlene got home before I drove back to Hannah's.“Believe me, you are still going to be punished for your irrational action.” She threatened Sofia as she ambled inside the house, quite wearily.“But I'm sorry!” Sofia cried.“It's fine.” I consol
Leo“Will you be in attendance, sir?” Celine asked.“It’s sudden but I should be there, it’s the first conference meeting since my Investment.” I responded.“Alright, sir, I’ll email them.” She said, walking out.“Please get me a cup of coffee.” I requested before she could close the door.“Alright, sir.” She said and closed the door behind her. Tony came in immediately afterward, with two cups of coffee.“I thought you could use some.” He smiled, pulling back his seat.“Yeah, thanks. Laynat is having a conference meeting,” I informed him.“That was out of the blue. Who called for it?” He inquired.“I don’t know to be precise, but it’s one of her executives. I believe I should attend.”He nodded.“Yeah…”“And I also believe that you can now keep Ariadne from leashing at me all the way to NY,”A light smile appeared on his face.“Did you ask her out?” I queried.He nodded.“Did she agree?”“What do you think?” He chuckled.“Just tell me.” I sipped from my cup.“Yeah…her next shoot is n
8–9 months laterAriandeI was already having contractions, and it was obvious I was going to go into labor soon. It was great I was with Layla though, and I tried to call for her. A yelp escaped my mouth as the contraction hit me harder."Oh my God, Ariande, are you okay?" Layla entered into the living room where I was, dropping the glass of water she had gone to bring, and she took out her phone to call Tony.He arrived sooner than we both expected, and he helped me into his car with Layla, who was pretty heavy too. She was to be due in a few days or a week from mine, and we'd both be free of mood swings and erratic hormones. Then she followed us to the hospital where I went into proper labor and gave birth to my girls a few hours later.I could tell from the minute that Tony walked in after my labor that he had gone through a lot of anxiety and I collected the baby when the nurse placed her in my arms, "Oh my God, Ariande, I'm so grateful for this, thank you for bringing her into t
AriandeIt was so great seeing these two get married, and I think I had seen Tony staring at me intently during the vow saying, I wouldn't be sure what that meant though.I loved the wedding reception even more, and it started off to a great start with some good music which me and the girls had gone through, including Layla and some good champagne. Other alcohols of different types were being passed around too, and soda for those who wouldn't want alcohol. There was great food and the couple when they finally entered.The song we had chosen for them to dance to upon entering started, and I have to say Leo gave his best more than Layla. It seemed like she was rather shy about dancing in public.Games were played and a lot of activities were thrown out. When the most awaited moment arrived, the throwing of the bouquet, I was in the front row because I wanted to get the bouquet and I got it.I squealed happily, "wow, I got it."Everyone smiled happily, and we waved the couple off to have
LaylaWedding preparations went on in full swing by the time we came back and as Nana, Leo's grandmother, liked hosting parties, she was the one that took control of the entire thing. She did seek my permission on some things and I answered as best as I could.Hannah was so happy for me, so also Mr and Mrs Cooper, and they very much petted me like I was their new doberman.Ariande drew me to a fitting shop days before the wedding, and I was surprised to see the other ladies "were just here to give our opinions."I was happy that they were all rallying around me, but it was just making me more nervous. I looked through the variety of gowns they had and picked one, "Go try it on."I walked into the dressing room with Ariande to help, and I had to admit we had become pretty much closer.I came out to the sight of the other ladies, and they were like hmm, hmm, I felt like that too, it wasn't really giving. It was nice though, like an off-shoulder gown with a full train and veil too. I fel
LaylaBy our fourth day there, the grill was out with the game night preparations being underway, and I helped as much as I could with the preparations. For one, I was feeling quite dizzy and nauseous and I did have an idea of what it might be, but I wasn't sure though, so I didn't want to make a big deal out of it.Tony and Leo helped set the lights on the beach and the chairs were set out around a fireplace in the middle. The beers were placed by the side and someone was to be manning the grill while everyone ate; Tony and Leo, of course. Kai offered, but the boys turned it down, and we all faced Kim."So what are the games we are going to be playing?""Okay, so I prepared quite a number of games, but the two most interesting ones would be never have I ever and two truths and a lie.""Oh, Kim" Ariande commented, making all of us laugh."So here are the rules for 'never have I ever'. Actually, it has just one rule. Everyone gets a turn to say 'never have I ever' and if you've done it
Ariande"Something fun, what would you consider something fun". The girls and I were sitting on the kitchen island pondering on what was fun, as the guys had gone off to God knows where."Well, we could go clubbing," Kim suggested, to which I agreed, though I wasn't sure I could drink with my pregnancy. Actually, I couldn't."We could also have a game night, just sit out on the beach and have some drinks too while we play some games,""I agree too," Layla said in agreement to Kai's suggestion."Well, we could go shopping. That would be for the girls, but the guys could also tag along if they want to."We all nodded in agreement, planning the whole thing and I and Layla offered to go buy the groceries for the day we would be there.It would be nice to just bake and cook for everyone. I learned there was a grill too."So have you decided on anything?" Layla asked as we drove to the mall."Yes, I decided to tell him first before I made any decision. I'll tell him probably a day or two fr
AriandeI was feeling quite funny and that was not good. I couldn't fall sick during production and at a crucial moment like this. I smiled happy when I saw my daily dose of bouquet delivered to my dressing room on set."He's just being so open now, isn't he?"Jeremy smiled, unsure of what to say."So how is your relationship with my brother?""Uhm... Actually I was going to say something about that. You're going on your break soon, right? I was wondering if I could take some days off then?"I cocked my head, "are both of you going on a vacation or trip?"He nodded slightly, "I could be back quickly if you want me to or cancel but...""It's okay, you can go. I'll manage on my own.""Really?"I nodded. As it was going to be my break soon, I wouldn't be having any shoots or production during that time because I would want some peace and quiet and, since I wouldn't be doing much then, it wouldn't be fair of me to rip his vacation from him.I called Tony when I was done with the scenes fo
LaylaThe designs were created within weeks and the collections were out together for another week. I looked through the portfolios of models that had been placed on my table and decided on the ones that we were going to use for the fashion show and campaign too.Amanda and Henry came in from New York to help with the process and a date was given for the fashion show. As for the campaign, I supervised the photo shoot and video shoot of the collections, and it was posted on both the models and CARTER'S official website as well as social media handles.I was going through one of the documents when my secretary came in, "this young lady...""Aunt Layla!" I looked up from the document to see Sofia rush in, and she was looking all bubbly and happy. I signaled the secretary that it was okay, and I gave her a big hug."Hey girlie, how have you been?"She smiled, "good""I heard you were in trouble" she smiled again, but this time more mischievous."It wasn't my fault that somebody wanted to
KaiI wasn't sure what to expect as I walked into the family house with Leo and Layla, and I was definitely surprised at the number of people that were there.Isn't that the famous actress, Ariande? And Leo's friend Tony, who were the couple that were looking about the same age as Leo's parents in a corner there too? There was also a grandma and grandpa too. Guess I had a lot of family."Leo honey" The Grandma greeted him, pecking him on the cheek, and he greeted her back. The woman also greeted Layla and a younger woman came to greet both of them too. Grandma stared at me, "and you're...""Oh you must be Kai, right?" The younger woman said, making me guess that she was Mrs Cooper, and I nodded."It's nice to meet you""Nice to meet you too", I shook her outstretched hand."This is Park Woojin, also Kai, Steve's daughter". Grandma looked confused."Steve didn't tell me about having a daughter.""Kai, meet Nana, your step grandmother and your step grandfather over there too."I greeted
Ariande"You still haven't figured out who is sending you the flowers yet?" Tony asked as I sat on the island in his kitchen. He had a bowl in his hand as he mixed chicken with mashed potatoes and I shook my head."No. I plan to use a private investigator though, because it could be a stalker and..."He nodded and smiled, "I understand.""Why did you invite me for dinner though?" I asked, surprised, since I hadn't been to his house since the last time I was drunk.He has only ever come to my house since our altercation and had sex with me. Nothing else, no dinner, no nothing, not even a drink, so what had changed that?"I just needed company to eat with today.""Oh" I felt honored even though I shouldn't, and I watched him intently as he started frying the mixture together on a bone stick.It was crazy just how much he had invaded my head. It was like I couldn't think of anything else but him and I deserved it because it had been the other way around. I had manipulated him at first, p