Jonathan squinted at Liliana again and sighed more audibly than the last time as he read the comments on his tablet.Kyle and Joyanna snickered from the sides as Liliana ignored them and focused on talking to Mariana instead.Jonathan cleared his throat and coughed again to draw her attention but to no avail.Finally, Mariana could not take it anymore and cursed.“Do you want medications for your cough, President Smith? Stop disturbing us!”“I am the patient here, Miss Jacobsen. Also, why don’t you go and accompany your father?” Jonathan could not believe her audacity.She was in his room and was accusing him of disturbing her when it was she who had been keeping his wife busy throughout the day.‘How could they talk so much?’“No thanks! My father has his wife by his side. He does not need me.” Mariana shrugged.“But I need my wife, so please make yourself scarce,” Jonathan grumbled.The kids burst out laughing, and Mariana choked.“Jonathan Smith, she is my best friend first and you
Liliana looked at Jonathan wide-eyed at his request.They had kissed frequently these days, but Jonathan always took the initiative to kiss her. She had not mustered enough courage to kiss him back yet.She looked at his eyes and lips and suddenly remembered how he had kissed her that day.She had felt suffocated at first, but after she had eased into it, she had felt a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach.She stared at his lips and gulped audibly, making Jonathan shake his head in helplessness.“Honey? What’s on your mind?” He probed, seeing her frozen.“I…You kiss me.” She said, confused.“Nah! This time you take the initiative.” He said, amused.“But…” She bit her lips, unsure of what to do.Seemingly having read her thoughts, he said, “Relax. Do what you feel like and stop thinking, okay?”She heaved a defeated sigh and took a deep breath as if she was gearing up for a battle.Jonathan could only shake his head.She slowly inched closer and closed her eyes as she pressed her
Jonathan and Liliana enjoyed their kissing sessions in the closed ward, forgetting the outside world.A call on Liliana’s phone interrupted their intimacy.“Hang up!” Jonathan said with a pout, which made Liliana laugh as she picked up the phone and put it on the loudspeaker.“Boss, everything is ready. Shall we proceed?” Vincent asked.“Vincent!” Jonathan exclaimed before Liliana could respond, “When did you switch jobs?” He asked as he looked at Liliana.“She pays better, boss.” Vincent joked.Jonathan was speechless as Liliana laughed.“Yeah, go ahead, Vincent. Coordinate with Alice, and tell Mer as well. You can discuss the aftermath with Alice. Don’t bother with Smith Group’s PR.” Liliana succinctly said.“Alright, boss. I will get to it.” Vincent hung up and proceeded with the first step of their retaliation.Jonathan looked at Liliana, who had poached his assistant, and asked, “What’s going on?”“Didn’t you ask me to talk to Vincent? I had him coordinate with my assistant, Alic
Nathaniel had not been sure about his father, who had been missing for years, and he had not believed his mother’s story about his amnesia. But knowing that there must have been something between his parents, he did not make a fuss.Jonathan was proving himself to be reliable, and Li was glad. He could finally lower his guard around his father slowly.Liliana saw his reaction and turned around to hide her tears.“I knew you guys would forget me!” Jonathan bellowed from the door as soon as she turned around.He had arrived soon after they had but had stayed behind and watched.“Nathan, why are you walking?” Liliana exclaimed as she went forward to support him.“Don’t be sad!” He whispered in his wife’s ears as he leaned on her.She simply nodded, and they went toward their son’s bed.“How do you feel, buddy?” Jonathan asked.“I am okay. I drank some fluids in the afternoon, they have to see the results later, and then I will get to eat liquid food if everything is okay.” Li explained o
Vivian finally managed to breathe normally after being anxious for a few days.Liliana and Jonathan did not have any evidence against her. They were touted as a despicable couple while she had whitewashed herself.While Vivian was dissatisfied about Liliana being Jonathan’s wife and escaping their plot scratch-free, it led to further speculation about her. Not to mention she had dug her own grave by cuckolding Jonathan.After calming down, Vivian realized that even though she did not get the results that she had wanted, Liliana had suffered losses. This thought made her mood inexplicably better.Vivian was humming a song while quietly working in her office. It was an ordinary day, and she was in a good mood.Her assistant barged in without knocking on the door.Before she could scold her assistant, she showed a video that sent chills down Vivian’s spine.Vivian sat back on her chair with force as she watched the four years old video playing on the screen.‘How? Who did this?’She was
Liliana’s scandal had been hype since she had stepped foot in P city.No one had forgotten the blood test reports Jonathan had posted about him getting drugged or him asking Vivian to clarify their relationship.Judging by the video, it was clear that Vivian was the wannabe mistress, while the married couple had been more than merciful towards her.Even when releasing the video, they blurred her naked form.‘I can’t believe this is true.’‘The experts have verified.’‘I thought the Smiths bribed the experts, so I took all the footage relating to this case and had them personally verified - and guess what? They are all real.’‘Was the gentle and kind Miss Stone a facade? Have I been blinded for years?’‘How can she sell herself like that just for petty grudges?’‘Oh my god!’‘Hey, does this mean Miss Stone had tried to hurt Mrs. Liliana? She said, ‘I even asked my husband to compromise and suffer grievances to give you some dignity.’ It must mean this, right?’‘Why doesn't Vivian Stone
Lydia had been on cloud nine since she discovered Liliana would get gang-raped live. There was no way Jonathan would accept her after that.Her mood had been depressed since Jonathan’s announcement that he had reconciled with his wife. But the anticipation of Liliana’s utter ruin made her ecstatic.However, the video didn’t turn out as they had hoped.Even so, she was pleased to know that it was out there in public that she had cheated on Jonathan and had given birth to a bastard child.On the other hand, Rose and Romeo were tangled in their tango as they watched youtube in anticipation.However, things turned out differently, killing their mood at once.Rose could still see the silver linings in their failure.Liliana suspected Vivian. Everyone knew she had cheated and cuckolded her husband, and most people believed that she had orchestrated the entire thing.Even though she had escaped, she had not come out unscathed, while Vivian was the one who would take the burnt for it.Thinkin
Two days later, those scandals continued to dominate the news.“Rose Aprice pays trolls to slander, Mrs. Liliana Smith while cheating on her husband.”“Jonathan Smith issues lawyer’s letters to protect his wife.”“Mrs. Liliana is the wife of President Smith.”“Jonathan Smith sued and won against people who had slandered his wife for cheating on the night of their wedding.”“Vivian Stone forces herself on a drugged Jonathan Smith for a school rivalry.”“Vivian Stone and Rose Aprice collude to ruin Mrs. Liliana Smith.”“Lydia Aprice is not an Aprice. Daughter of cheating Rose from her first marriage.”“Rose and Romeo - the parents reunite again. Is divorce and remarriage in the picture?”“Jonathan Smith sues people for defaming his wife. Is she innocent, or is this whitewashing using clout?”“Stone Group faces bankruptcy as the broken capital chain is confirmed.”“Is what happened to Stone Group co-incidental, or is this President Smith’s retaliation?”“Mrs. Liliana Smith seems to be ge
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