James got worried when Mariana did not come back for a while.He searched for her and finally found her on the balcony, sighing while looking at her phone.Despite her bad temper, he thought she was charming.He watched as she pouted, scrolled her phone, and finally called someone.In just a minute, she was laughing.But James felt bitterness in his heart when he saw her laugh.She was always scowling in front of him. Yet, she was laughing like a giggly teenager while talking to someone else.They hung up quickly enough, and she smiled, shaking her head.He went close, and she frowned on seeing him.His irritation grew.“I was looking for you. You disappeared when you came out.” He said gently.She looked at him strangely at the gentle tone and shook the goosebumps off.James wanted to strangle her but kept his temper in check.Her subsequent words, however, made him fume.“I was just talking to Liam and lost track of time. Let’s go inside, and please don’t kiss me again.” She indiffe
There was no humor in Mariana’s laughter.“James, it’s just you and me here. Can we stop pretending? Have you not humiliated me enough? When is it going to be enough so you can stop your revenge?” She asked in extreme frustration and agony.“Is that what you think?” James was surprised.He admitted that he pestered her to have his revenge for their encounter abroad.But after getting to know her, he just wanted to spend more time with her and tease her. He had long forgotten about revenge.They were friends. They had spent a lot of time together in the last few months. Especially in the past three weeks, they had been so close.Irrespective of where they had started, he thought they had formed a bond. But clearly, he was wrong.“Is that not true? Do you like me? Are we dating? Is there anything going on between the two of us?” Mariana asked.James could not answer her. His feelings were unclear, and he did not know what to say since Mariana was in tears.“Did you forcibly kiss me befo
James was stunned to see Liam come out of the stall holding an unconscious and very bad-looking Mariana in his arms.“What’s wrong with her?” He asked Liam.Despite his irritation, Liam answered honestly.“Someone had locked her in the bathroom from the outside. She is allergic to saffron and has passed out due to it. I am taking her to Henry. She should be fine in 2-3 days.”He did not stop walking as he asked, “Were you with her? Where the hell are her bodyguards? How did they not realize that she was missing for this long?”James froze and felt his head spinning.He was the one who had sent her bodyguards away. He had wanted to test her limits and made a farce before her.She had sent her bodyguards away to avoid further drama in front of her colleagues.Moreover, he had seen her go inside the bathroom. How could he have simply believed Alice and not looked for her?Overwhelming remorse filled him.It was his fault she was in that state.He almost choked when he thought of that.Bu
Half an hour later, Henry finally came out.“She is fine now.” He sat beside Liliana and exhaled.“How bad was she?” Jonathan asked.“She is allergic to Saffron. It starts with vomiting, rashes, tongue swelling, and labored breathing. It has never gone far from that, but you can imagine the next. When she arrived today, she was pretty bad - barely breathing a few times a minute. Thankfully, Liam called ahead, and we were ready for her.” Henry explained.Jennifer added, “What I don’t understand is why would she eat it?”She pointed out, “The last time she had saffron was when Kyle gifted her a saffron candy, and she could not say no to him. But she had immediately pulled Henry aside and asked him to take her to the hospital.”James filled them in. “I think it was mixed in one of the pickles in the barbeque.”Henry asked, “You were with her?”James lowered his head. “Yeah. I was not aware that she was allergic. We argued, and then she disappeared. Her phone was working, but she was not
Mariana woke up late in the afternoon to see Liliana’s scowling face. The latter scolded her for ten minutes before asking how she felt.After Liliana and the others left, James still stayed back.Mariana did not want to talk to him because he was just too unreasonable. However, James mistook that for her anger and silent treatment.James apologized and took good care of her despite her refusal. The maid just watched them fight from the sides.Later in the evening, Mariana went to Liliana’s house. She would stay there for the night before returning to her parent’s house.While Mariana was in the hospital, the Aprices had finally made peace.Rose used tears and manipulation to convince Lester that Liliana had framed her to separate them. She kept repeating Liliana was taking revenge for her mother and was trying to separate them.She assured Lester that she was waiting for him in the hotel when someone had drugged her. She thought the fat guy was Lester and acted on impulse.After seve
Lester could not believe that most big-wigs of P city had turned up for his party.He willfully believed they were there for him and puffed up with each VIP entering the banquet hall.However, his mood turned sour when he saw a few people.Mariana had come on behalf of the Jacobsen group. Lester had not wanted to invite them, but it was common courtesy since they were both businessmen, and he was hoping to cooperate with them.Andrew Jacobsen was easygoing, but his daughter Mariana had a sharp tongue. Lester could only hope that the girl minds her own business, but even he knew it was an extravagant hope.He, all the more, resented Liliana for making friends with bigwigs to retaliate against him.Nonetheless, he schooled his expression and wore a flattering smile.As more and more guests came up, Lester regained his jubilant mood.Finally, Jonathan and Liliana showed up, holding each other's arms. It was their first appearance after making their marriage public.Lester was no longer h
Lydia chimed into the conversation. Rose, as usual, was the quiet, meek wife, so naturally, she would not speak up.“You are so arrogant. Who do you think you are to humiliate my friend like this when she was only trying to be nice?”Lydia rebuked Liliana loudly.She also patted Alice’s shoulder and hugged her to show her kindness.“Don’t worry, Alice, I will support you!” She said aloud, even as she pretended to whisper to Alice.Mariana could not help but scoff at her.Lydia looked at Mariana in annoyance and said, “What’s your problem?”Mariana smiled innocently and stated, “I was just wondering - since she is such a good friend of yours, why don’t you give her a job in your company? When she makes enough money, she can start her design studio!”Her words sounded reasonable, but everyone knew it was impractical. And nigh impossible unless the person was immensely talented and hard-working.Lydia glared at her and said, “Mind your own business.”Mariana refuted, “I was doing just th
Liliana tilted her head and said, “Since the hosts of the banquet want me to provide my opinion so badly, I can only comply to show my respect.”Alice felt hope surge within her.Mariana had to bite the inside of her mouth to keep herself from laughing.Liliana looked at Alice and asked, “Miss Alice, did you design this yourself, or did you get anyone’s help?”Alice thought Liliana was vengeful since she could not fault her design, so she puffed up, “Of course, I designed it completely by myself.”Liliana probed again, “Are you sure? Maybe you took inspiration from the internet?”Alice was irritated and shouted, “If you don’t like it, please just say so. You don’t have to humiliate me like this.”Lydia sneered, “Are you looking for excuses because you could not find anything to justify your bad behavior?”Liliana shook her head and added, “Miss Alice. I have given you several chances to stop putting yourself in the spotlight. I even gave you many outs, even suggested ways to save your
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