Liam came to Jonathan and Liliana’s place to see everyone, and Liliana decided to have a gathering and invited everyone over.Mariana, Jennifer, Henry, Liam, James, Vincent, and Eric arrived with gifts for the three kids.“Don’t make it a habit. These kids have enough things as it is,” Liliana told them to stop bringing gifts for the kids every time.“Shut it, Lil. Why can’t I get things for my kids? You are too stingy,” Mariana had never liked the ‘don’t spoil the children’ preach Liliana would give now and then.“I can’t believe I am saying this, but I have to agree with Mer here. They are ours as well. We get to bring things for them whenever we want.”Henry supported Mariana, shocking everyone.Vincent said, “I have never gotten the chance before. Let me get to know the little bosses better, M’am.”Only Eric and Liam had not brought anything.Jennifer teased, “Liam, how come you are empty-handed?”Liam only shrugged, “I was on a closed mission. We did not even get delicious food.
Liam and Eric stayed behind as Liam wanted to spend time with the kids.They decided to let Kyle live there until Nathaniel’s surgery. That way, Joyanna would have company when the adults became busy.Later at night, Liliana kept tossing and turning without falling asleep.Jonathan was exasperated and turned on the lights and pulled her up.“What’s wrong?” He asked.“I can’t stop thinking about James and Mer. He is going to drive her to the edge and enjoy as she trips over, isn’t he?” She straightforwardly asked.“I am sorry,” Jonathan apologized.He felt responsible for James’s actions as he was his friend.Perhaps, it wouldn’t have been as bad if not for him being the shared acquaintance.“Don’t be. You are not James. I am just worried about Mer,” Liliana clarified.She did not want it to get between them. They had only just found each other, and she was reluctant to let anything spoil things between them.“I know. I just felt things would not have been as bad if James was not my fr
The sweet night ended, and Jonathan and Liliana’s morning started with a loud phone call.Jonathan grumbled as he picked up the phone.“What’s wrong with you, Vincent?” Jonathan roared.Liliana yawned as she fixed her hair and prepared to get out of bed.Jonathan held her and pulled her into his embrace, resting his chin on her head.She was stunned at first but relaxed soon after and wrapped her arms around his waist and closed her eyes.“Boss, bad news. There are photos of Mrs. Smith everywhere, and the news has tagged her - I am sorry to be the one to break this to you - but they have labeled her as an adulteress. The pictures are real. I had them verified. So, someone took misleading photos of her to use them to sway public opinion.”Vincent was breathless, having spoken so urgently.Liliana squinted her eyes and sneered, ‘Rose had finally cast her dice.’Jonathan, however, was not happy to wake up to this. He wanted to whip those people and throw them in the ocean amidst sharks.
The rumors were spreading like wildfire, and the trending topic was gaining more and more traction.But Liliana, Jonathan, L&L Designs, and Smith Group kept mum.It fuelled everyone’s imagination as they took their silence as their admittance.The comments on the internet went from bad to worse, but Liliana did nothing to stop those.Jonathan was surprised to see her reaction. It seemed she was waiting for something and would only retort when she got it.She seemed utterly unaffected by the news. Jonathan had never seen anyone so unconcerned. She always had that air that everything was under her control.He wondered what would make her fidget and worry. But then he knew the answer to that - the people she loved.He was skeptical if he fell in that category.Liliana gave the kids two weeks off due to the scheduled surgery. Part of her wanted to keep their classes, as it would keep their mind off things, but she dismissed the idea thinking her kids deserved better treatment owing to the
Vivian was shocked to find out that Jonathan was married. Even more, he had reconciled with his wife.She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was married to Liliana. But she rejected the idea firmly.‘Was this why he was never interested in me?’ She thought begrudgingly.But what bothered her the most was the probability that Liliana was his wife.‘No, no. That woman can't be his wife. It can be anyone but her.’Vivian kept denying the possibility of Liliana being Jonathan’s wife, but her mind seemed to have a will of its own as the same thought kept popping in again and again.Unable to take it anymore, she made a bold decision.She sent a message to her assistant and waited for the results.On the other hand, Mariana, in a fit of vexation, played along with James and pretended to be sickly sweet with him. She had been sick and tired of being harassed by him and made the bold decision hoping it would wear him out.Only time would tell what the outcome would be.James was elated by her
Liliana woke up in a strange environment and felt her hands and feet bound.She frowned, recalling what she remembered. She had been waiting for Nathan and Li to come out from the OT when she received a call from the old gardener at the Aprice Mansion asking her to come to a remote place because Andrew Jacobsen, Mariana’s father, had been kidnapped.She rushed out after leaving instructions for the kids, but someone knocked her out before she got to her car in the parking lot.Looking around, it looked like a hotel room. Moreover, someone had tied Liliana’s hands and feet. She waited to see what was to come next.While scanning around, she saw a pinhole camera. She could faintly guess what was going on.‘Who had been so bold to set her up?’But more importantly, why would her guards allow her to get kidnapped?Liliana turned around and could see the faint gestures of her shadow. She had been specially trained for years with her shadow to communicate non-verbally.She understood and wa
Liliana woke up again when she felt someone touching her face.Her hands and feet were no longer bound, and there seemed to be two people in the room.Liliana pushed the hand touching her away and sat up.She sneezed several times at the weird fragrance.She shook her head and tried to steady her breath before she looked around.She was surprised to find Andrew Jacobsen was the one who was trying to wake her up.The old gardener from the Aprice mansion seemed to have been badly beaten up and was lying beside her on the bed, barely conscious.“Uncle, what happened?” Liliana asked anxiously. She tried to get up only to realize she was too weak to stand up.Moreover, she was getting a weird feeling that suspiciously reminded her of her wedding night.She was drugged.Moreover, uncle Andrew and grandpa also looked a bit off.She shook Andrew before he sobered up enough to react.“Lil, what’s going on?” He asked.All his focus was on standing still without swaying with dizziness.“Why are
Jonathan woke up groggily, feeling a bit out of it and in a lot of pain.He grunted as he looked around. He could see that he was in an HDU, and his son was in the next bed.He made some noise to attract attention, and Doctor Cox came inside immediately.Henry was with the kids as the others were still looking for Liliana.Doctor Cox moved some of the tubes attached to Jonathan, making it easier for him to breathe normally.He dabbed his lips with water but gave him only a little sip for his parched throat.Then he began to look at all the vitals again and asked him about how he was feeling.When the doctor had completed his examinations, Jonathan finally asked, “How is my son doing?”Doctor Cox smiled as he glanced at the boy in the next bed and said, “His vitals are normal. There’s no sign of rejection yet. We will know more when he wakes up. We will put him under close observation for the next three weeks before we clear him out. So far, all signs are promising.”“That’s a relief.
Liam finished his narrative and went close to Kyle.He knelt beside his half-brother and said, “Kyle, you are my brother by blood. But in my heart, you have always been my son.”“I will do anything and everything for you. Not because I feel obligated or you were a responsibility thrust onto me, or because my mother ruined your mother’s life. But because I love you from the bottom of my heart. If anything happens to you, I will lose my mind.”“What happened to previous generations is their karma and their lives. What we do defines our life and our karma.”“You are my son and will remain so until you return to P City Military as the Colonel. Until then, you mustn’t tell anyone about it.”“I never told you about your mother because I have immense respect and compassion for her. I did not want to lie to you or gloss over her story. I wanted to tell you when you are older, so you can appreciate her sacrifices.”“Nevertheless, you will always be my son and my highest priority. I love you so
Liam took a while before he braced himself for the next part.“My mother thought my father was cheating on her with Aunty Keira.”“My father kept everything about Aunty Keira a secret because he hadn’t identified all the people on the inside who worked for him. So for her safety, he dealt with everything directly. He had created a fake ID and passport for her for an emergency. If she ran into any trouble, or if he died, then she could flee and settle down abroad.”“My mother thought he was planning to elope with her. She went after him when he had sneaked out, and she took photos. The next day, she posted all those photos in the newspaper calling Aunty Keira a bad person for flirting with a married army man and ruining a military marriage.”“Naturally, everyone found out, and the bad people captured and bullied Aunt Keira.”“The plan was almost complete. As per military protocols, my father had to prioritize the mission. My father had the last bits of information in place. So he hasti
Liliana began when Liam stalled for time.“Kyle, your mother comes from a long line of military spies. You know what a spy is, right?”Kyle nodded.“Traditionally, only men are sent as spies because women are physically more vulnerable and comparatively more emotional. However, during your mother’s time, there was a very powerful mafia in Z city. He was extending his terror in P city. He had bribed and coerced many people at higher positions - so he would not get caught. Someone inside the Military betrayed us, and he found our spies.”Liam added, “He killed 25 of our most trained and skilled spies within a week. It left the P City Military in a very vulnerable position. My father was the Army Commander at that time. My Grandfather was in a higher position, and the mafia approached my grandfather for something. When he refused, he killed him.”“Among the 25 spies, three were from your mother’s family. Apart from them, almost 100 people from the force - Police and Military - lost their
Liliana walked up to them and hugged them.She checked them from head to toe, much to the boy’s embarrassment. When she was satisfied that they were unharmed, she spanked them.Li looked at his mother incredulously, but she glared back at him.“How dare you run away? Didn’t you know the address of your home? If you encounter something you can’t handle, you come to me. Is that such a difficult concept to grasp?”“Look at how filthy you have become! Is this how you plan to set an example for your siblings?”Kyle hugged her and sobbed, “I am sorry, Mommy.”Li did the same, and Liliana hugged the two children close.Liliana exclaimed, “Ah! It reminds me of when we had just returned to P city. Jo - that traitor, left me for her father. I had the two of you to hug.”She led them to the ensuite bathroom and asked them to clean up. She sat them down and asked them to drink water and eat the pies she had made that afternoon.After the kids were well-fed and hydrated, she sat on the couch with
One day after the divorce, Mariana took the twins to see grandma Preston.Kyle was supposed to leave with her but changed the plans last minute when Nathaniel called, saying he had something to discuss with Kyle.On the other hand, James had taken Jacob’s twins out with him.Jacob did not realize that Kyle and Nathaniel were at home.He turned on Netflix and beer and enjoyed the rare me-time.Liam unexpectedly came back, and upon gathering that they were alone at home, they locked the doors and windows and started making out.Their time together was always short. They had to act like they were just friends.It was tiring, and Liam always felt sorry for Jacob. The man had left everything and followed him to P City, but he kept him away like a dirty secret.Their noise had attracted the two kids who were deep in discussion in Kyle’s room. They thought it was a thief and tiptoed to find him.Unexpectedly, they witnessed something not appropriate for their age.They hid behind the curtain
Liliana, Jonathan, and all their friends lived a non-gossipy, uneventful life in the next few years.Jennifer got married to Junior Doctor Cox.Jacob’s company got listed.Leonardo stabilized his business and left to complete his studies.Vincent and Alice McDraw tied the knot.Henry had a whirlwind romance with a difficult patient, and they ended up in a shotgun wedding.Henry collaborated with his cousin Amelia to perform some of the miraculous medical feats which brought the Qazi family to the forefront of the Medical industry as they had been for generations. Terry Draw ended up with his assistant’s sister. Surprisingly, that was the most challenging match as his assistant accused him of betraying him. He took a long time to accept the truth.Terry completed the Green Field orphanage within the stipulated time. His achievements were widely renowned, and he ended up as the spokesperson for Green Living.He would go on to collaborate with several charities and manage most of the no
James remained unperturbed and laughed.He added when he had calmed down.“Jacob said he kissed Mariana and realized that he was gay.”Jonathan was speechless. He hadn’t expected that twist.James ignored his friend’s expressions and slurred, “He said they were best friends and sort of dating. But the vibe between them was closer to cousins than lovers. When they kissed, he realized how much he never wanted to kiss any girl in his life ever again.”Jonathan had to stifle his laugh.‘Good for Jacob!’‘Poor Mariana lost her first kiss like that. Tch! Tch!’James continued his ramble.“Then they became even closer. Which may have been why Mariana never dated anyone.”Jonathan thought about it and added, “Makes sense! She wouldn’t have needed to look for a relationship, and others would have assumed she wasn’t available.”James continued, “Jacob once took her horse riding. She fell and had a fracture. Her hymen tore when she fell. Then I slept with her and shouted at her for making a fuss
The next four months went by uneventfully, except for Liam being missing for that long and the Preston family members trying and failing to get any benefits from Mariana.Finally, a series of good news came one after the other.Liliana was pregnant. The couple had wanted to keep it a secret until the first trimester ended well. Then when the doctor confirmed everything was alright, they made the big announcement to their friends and family members.Liam came back after completing two different massive projects.He had ended Bronsson Mcclory’s illegal business completely and had apprehended him.Jeffery Cruise kept Mcclory in strict custody until the courts sentenced him to life imprisonment. Then he was sent to a high-security prison that held long-term inmates.Mcclory’s entire business, all networks, all partners and associates, clientele - the police had nabbed all of them.Consequently, Liam worked with several different authorities to arrest everyone from the criminal underground
Jonathan and Liliana stopped talking and embraced each other while lying quietly on the bed.Jonathan was about to drift asleep when Liliana spoke.“Do you still want to have another child?”He was stunned and sat up immediately.“What do you mean?”She turned around and asked, “Well, you never brought it up since we talked about it half a year ago.”He couldn’t understand what she was getting at. He asked, “So?”She mumbled, “I just think it is the right time, and maybe we should try. I will turn thirty soon, and it might cause complications.”He asked, “I still don’t know what you are trying to say.”She rolled her eyes and asked, “I want to know if you still want another child. It’s been half a year since we started living together. What do you think? Are you ready? Do you think having Li and Jo is enough?”He lay down and turned her towards him.“This half a year is the best half year of my life. I love you very much and would love to spend the rest of my life with you. Jo and Li