While Lester, Rose, and Romeo were moving to displace each other and waiting for the ultimate showdown, Liliana was enjoying her marital life.Kyle finally went back to the Prestons after their vacation.Reluctant as he was, Kyle understood that he was a Preston and not a Petrova-Smith. Kyle returned to his family, and Liliana sent an antique candle holder for Grandma Preston as a gift with apologies for not visiting in person.The Preston family members were ecstatic. It showed them another chance to climb up the socioeconomic ladder.They began to fawn over Kyle and treated him like royalty. Kyle, who they had treated poorly before, was polite and detached. But that did not deter anyone as they did not believe they could not sway a child.On the other hand, Liliana and Jonathan got busy with their work. They had taken too many days off, and there was a lot of pending work.The kids resumed their classes which they had dropped since the surgery.The first two weeks after their vacat
Later at night, Jonathan and Liliana put the kids to bed and retired to their bedroom.Jonathan turned on all the lights in the room when Liliana came to bed after a shower.โHoney?โ He leaned closer and traced her curves as he slurred.โThis conversation is getting more embarrassing and awkward,โ Liliana pouted as she pushed his hands away.Jonathan just mumbled an unintelligible โMhmโ and continued to feel her up.โAre you even listening?โ Liliana asked, yet again pushing him away.โI am listening, Mrs. Smith. Just not in the mood to talk about our kids when my thoughts are running south,โ Jonathan pinned her hands and removed the blankets as he answered her.โHow come you are never embarrassed when they ask questions?โ She asked.โMrs. Smith, itโs a great achievement to satisfy my wife. Nothing to be embarrassed about,โ He replied and waited for her further questions.Jonathan pinned her hands above her head and hovered above her, balancing his weight on his arms. He paused, not wa
Jonathan did not give Liliana any chance to back out as he said, โI love you, Lil. I love you so much that sometimes I worry my heart will overflow.โAll of Lilianaโs apprehensions died down on hearing his words.She pushed her head up and gave him a quick kiss as she replied, โI love you too. I am so happy to be with you.โJonathan kissed her softly and said, โI am happy to have a family, a home to return to every day. You have given me a reason to look forward to a new day.โLiliana tugged her hands, and when he did not release them, she muttered, โI want my hands freed so I can wrap them around you.โJonathan laughed as he freed her hands. He placed his arms beside her and balanced his weight on his arms as he inched closer.Liliana took a sharp intake of breath as her breasts brushed against his chest.Jonathan caressed her face and said, โI want to go to sleep every night with you in my arms and wake up every morning with you sprawled on top of me.โLiliana laughed and pulled his
Jonathan and Liliana spent the rest of the month familiarizing themselves with each otherโs business and meeting relevant people.Jonathan was surprised that Liliana knew almost everyone important in the P city, barring people close to him.She had explicitly kept herself off any news about him. Otherwise, she was too well-informed - scarily so.Moreover, she even had a knack for spotting talent from afar and identifying fakes.He could only wonder how hard she must have trained her entire life. He was the heir of the Smith Group. He had gone through extensive training since he was young.But spending time with her at work, he could tell her training was on an entirely different level.Apart from that, they also started talking about slowly inducting lessons for the kids.The kids were getting home-schooled so far, but their training had been far lighter than what she had gone through.But, now Jonathan was with them, and their health had recovered. It was time to groom them well.It
Time flew by, and soon it was close to Lilianaโs 29th birthday.Jonathan had prepared a surprise for her and had asked the kids to keep quiet about it.Nathaniel had nodded his head in appreciation when Jonathan cornered the three kids to talk about their motherโs birthday.Jonathan could only shake his head. Nathaniel was still observing him. Although he had accepted him wholeheartedly, he still kept an eye out.Jonathan felt sorry for his son, but he did not mind. Being vigilant was never a bad thing.Liliana had, as usual, forgotten about her birthday. She had been curious about what the kids were cooking with Jonathan, but she did not pry. It was good to see them bonding.Jonathan shared his plans with Mariana, who made a few changes and was on board with the general idea.These few months had brought Mariana and Jonathan unexpectedly closer.Mariana had, as suggested by Jonathan, reached out to the person in charge of their collaboration with Smith Group and had prepared a very b
James arrived at Mariana's celebration party, and Marianaโs drunk colleagues made him down three glasses of wine as punishment.As far as they all knew, James was Marianaโs doting boyfriend. Ordinarily, they would not have dared to jest with him, but drunk, they had the confidence.Being called Marianaโs doting boyfriend, James was delighted and followed through. But Mariana, who had supposedly gone to the washroom, was still missing.James wondered if she had an allergic reaction again and dashed inside the Ladies' room, causing quite a commotion.He saw Mariana holding on to a sink and splashing herself with water. She was biting her lips and was bleeding already.She had almost entirely soaked her upper body, and her lingerie was visible.James felt his body react to the scenery, but he pushed it away and slowly approached her.She reacted violently and told him to step away.James saw her hooded eyes, how her nipples had stiffened, the goosebumps on her arms when he touched her, a
Liam woke up with a start.The night before, he had arrived at the private club after Marianaโs call. But he was too late.James had taken Mariana to a room.He was unsure of their dynamics, but he knew James was not thoughtful enough to take his intrusion kindly.The one to get hurt would be Mariana ultimately.Liam thought of leaving, but he saw the woman Alice, who was supposedly Jamesโs ex-girlfriend or current fling - he was unsure. She was talking to some reporters, and that alarmed him.Hence, he decided to wait and see if Mariana needed him. As such, he booked the room next to theirs and stayed overnight.The rooms were soundproof. He left his door ajar and slept close to the door in case of an emergency.In the morning, he woke up with a start when James banged the adjacent door close.Liam decided to check and went out in time to see a fuming James leaving their room without even closing the door properly.Liam went inside and found a crying Mariana.He hugged her until she
James stormed out of the private room and smoked three cigarettes - back to back.Only then did he calm down.He banged his fist on the wall and cursed.James was not sure what was wrong with him. He liked Mariana a lot. He didnโt know if his feelings were love or something else, but he enjoyed being with her and cared for her a great deal.He wanted to make her happy and see her cheeky smiling face all day.But every time they were together, they ended up fighting.He would say something hurtful and humiliating. He could not understand what was wrong with him.He could not bring himself to leave her. At the same time, he just seemed unable to make her happy.They had made love last night. It was amazing. She was not a virgin, he could not feel any barrier, but she was very clearly inexperienced.He was slightly annoyed that she had a man that she had liked and trusted enough to get intimate with, but at the same time, he was also happy that she had not lost her virginity while on dru
Liam finished his narrative and went close to Kyle.He knelt beside his half-brother and said, โKyle, you are my brother by blood. But in my heart, you have always been my son.โโI 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 motherโs life. But because I love you from the bottom of my heart. If anything happens to you, I will lose my mind.โโWhat happened to previous generations is their karma and their lives. What we do defines our life and our karma.โโYou are my son and will remain so until you return to P City Military as the Colonel. Until then, you mustnโt tell anyone about it.โโI 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.โโNevertheless, 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.โMy mother thought my father was cheating on her with Aunty Keira.โโMy father kept everything about Aunty Keira a secret because he hadnโt 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.โโMy 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.โโNaturally, everyone found out, and the bad people captured and bullied Aunt Keira.โโThe 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.โKyle, your mother comes from a long line of military spies. You know what a spy is, right?โKyle nodded.โTraditionally, only men are sent as spies because women are physically more vulnerable and comparatively more emotional. However, during your motherโs 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.โLiam added, โHe 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.โโAmong the 25 spies, three were from your motherโs 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 boyโs embarrassment. When she was satisfied that they were unharmed, she spanked them.Li looked at his mother incredulously, but she glared back at him.โHow dare you run away? Didnโt you know the address of your home? If you encounter something you canโt handle, you come to me. Is that such a difficult concept to grasp?โโLook at how filthy you have become! Is this how you plan to set an example for your siblings?โKyle hugged her and sobbed, โI am sorry, Mommy.โLi did the same, and Liliana hugged the two children close.Liliana exclaimed, โAh! 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.โShe 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 Jacobโs 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 Kyleโs 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.Jacobโs 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 assistantโs 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.โJacob said he kissed Mariana and realized that he was gay.โJonathan was speechless. He hadnโt expected that twist.James ignored his friendโs expressions and slurred, โHe 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.โJonathan had to stifle his laugh.โGood for Jacob!โโPoor Mariana lost her first kiss like that. Tch! Tch!โJames continued his ramble.โThen they became even closer. Which may have been why Mariana never dated anyone.โJonathan thought about it and added, โMakes sense! She wouldnโt have needed to look for a relationship, and others would have assumed she wasnโt available.โJames continued, โJacob 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 Mccloryโs 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.Mccloryโs 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.โDo you still want to have another child?โHe was stunned and sat up immediately.โWhat do you mean?โShe turned around and asked, โWell, you never brought it up since we talked about it half a year ago.โHe couldnโt understand what she was getting at. He asked, โSo?โShe mumbled, โI just think it is the right time, and maybe we should try. I will turn thirty soon, and it might cause complications.โHe asked, โI still donโt know what you are trying to say.โShe rolled her eyes and asked, โI want to know if you still want another child. Itโs 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?โHe lay down and turned her towards him.โThis 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