James reached out to Mariana two weeks after that fateful event.Mariana avoided him, but as usual, James cornered her.“I am so sorry, Mer. I swear, I did not mean a thing I said last time. I regretted it the moment I misspoke.”“I like you so much. Please give me one last chance. I swear to make it up to you. I am so sorry. Please, Mer.”“Please, give me one last chance. I know I messed up before. I will make things right this time around. Please!”James uttered his most sincere apology.He had been tracking down the waiter who had spiked Mariana’s drink. He had finally found him abroad and laid all the cards to force him back to P city.Only then did James muster the courage to confront Mariana and apologize.Unfortunately, what Mariana heard was that even after everything that had happened, James was not ready to end the farce between them.Perhaps, because they had both been on the opposite spectrum from the beginning of their relationship, they never saw things the same way.Mar
Jonathan spent almost two months preparing for a perfect birthday party for Liliana.Once again, he had booked the entire rooftop of Green Wine and Food.He had the entire rooftop decorated with purple lilies and soft lights. Knowing Liliana did not like any extravagance, the decoration was tastefully minimal.The guests were family and friends only. It was to be an intimate bash.Jonathan had the gifts approved by his kids and Mariana to ensure she would like them.Finally, the day came, and Jonathan and the kids woke Liliana up at midnight with a surprise homemade cake.Liliana had been expecting Jonathan’s surprise for her birthday.Jonathan, the three kids, and Mariana had not been able to hide their smugness about having planned a surprise. It had been a dead giveaway to their supposed secret.Liliana had played along.But seeing her husband and three kids with a misshapen cake at midnight was a pleasant sight, nonetheless.She was very touched and happy seeing the people she lov
On the other hand, Jacob and Liam tried their best to cheer Mariana up.She was laughing non-stop at their jokes. Seeing her so unaffected made Alice and the Millers very unhappy.After all the guests had arrived, Jonathan escorted Liliana and the kids to the open rooftop.Liliana showed up wearing an elegant gown that she had designed herself. Jonathan and the three kids were all wearing matching clothes.The appearance of the family of five made everyone gasp at how picture-perfect they looked. It was as if they were born with an extra dose of beauty and grace.Jonathan introduced his wife and kids to everyone.Most of them had not seen the kids before and were ecstatic to meet the children born with good genes and silver spoons.Mariana called the kids to her as soon as the introduction was over.A private photographer took pictures of the couple and posted them on Social Media. They were careful about protecting the children’s privacy.Jonathan proposed a toast and wished Liliana
Alice saw James looking at Mariana. Taking advantage of his distraction, she kissed him on the lips.That shocked most people as they had assumed something was going on between James and Mariana.James was stunned for a few seconds as he could not believe that Alice would catch him off guard and kiss him in front of everyone despite his multiple warnings.Alice had learned from her previous lessons and let go of James before he could push her away. Since James did not get the chance to break the kiss, it looked consented.James knew his relationship with Mariana had circled back to square one as soon as the kiss was over.He had promised Mariana to make it up to her, but he had not pushed Alice away when she had kissed him in front of everyone. Mariana would never bear such indignation.He tried to go to Mariana, but Alice was one step ahead.Alice went to Mariana and apologized, “Miss Jacobsen, I hope you wouldn’t hold grudges against me for my relationship with James. I know you lik
Mariana fell on top of glasses and drinks.Glass shards pierced her body everywhere. But worse still, a few bottles fell on top of her.Liam had tried to grab her, but Alice stopped him.He pushed Alice aside and tried to grab Mariana, but it was too late. She was already hurt.He quickly held the injured Mariana as Henry and Jennifer rushed to take care of her.Liliana called to ready the ambulance and went to the kids. The children were frightened by the turn of events.Everyone froze as an unusual amount of blood began to flow from Mariana’s lower body.While everyone was worried that she could be badly injured, Alice thought to create a scene by shouting.“Oh! My! God! Is she having a miscarriage?”Everyone looked at Mariana and Alice agape.Liliana looked at James, who stood dumbly like a frozen statue. She shook her head in disappointment.She signaled her assistant Alice McDraw and Jonathan’s assistant Vincent to handle everything. She hugged the shaken kids and consoled them.
Vincent sent away all the guests and then drove the children back home.Alice, Liliana’s assistant, arranged everything with the Petrova PR team and went to Liliana’s Villa with the three kids and Vincent.She tried to console the kids, but there was not much to do.After the kids recovered from the initial scare, they turned to their sensible selves.They were always like that. Too sensible for a six-year-old, making the adults guilty.In the hospital, Mariana’s parents, Liliana, Jonathan, Liam, his grandmother, and Jacob - were waiting in the OT waiting hall.Henry and Jennifer were inside the OT. They had called in a trauma surgeon and a gynecologist for aid.After around thirty minutes of waiting, they received word that Mariana was doing fine. While the operation was still ongoing, there was not anything critically wrong that would not recover with proper care.Andrew and Merideth Jacobsen finally managed to regain some sort of calm after hearing that.Liam’s grandmother was wond
Andrew took a few deep breaths to suppress his urge to punch James. He wanted to beat him to a pulp but took deep breaths to calm down.He said in a tone that warranted no arguments.“Please get out of here. My daughter’s well-being is none of your concern. We do not want you here.”James mumbled a weak apology, “I am so sorry.”Contrary to his feelings, his parents thought that the Jacobsens were being rude.“Mr. Jacobsen, the hospital does not belong to you. Are you trying to hide your daughter’s shame by chasing us away?” Mrs. Miller said conceitedly.James glowered at his mother, “Mom! Stop talking! I beg you.”Before she could retort, Liliana spoke.“It’s quite late. James, you should send your parents home.”James knew she was sending him away. He begged, “Please, let me stay.”Jonathan added, “I will call you when we have more news. Go back.”Mrs. Miller was even more indigent. Jonathan had always been respectful to them previously.She asked, “Are you trying to chase us away?”
Liam could not bear to see Mer’s mother’s horrified expression laced with guilt.Nor could he let Mariana’s image get ruined like that. He had promised to be there for her.Since James had resolved to deny responsibility, he had to step in.Liam looked at Jacob, who smiled at him in resignation and nodded.Liam went to Mariana’s parents and dropped to his knees.He lowered his head and spoke with utmost respect and apology.“Uncle, Aunty, I am so sorry. Mer and I have known each other for six years, and we have had feelings for each other for ages. But we were unsure about each other, so we always held back rather than risk our friendship.”“A few weeks back, after the incident at the hotel, she was quite upset. I brought her out for dinner to help her relax. We got drunk and made drunken confessions. One thing led to another, and we jumped the gun.”“Realizing that we both like each other, we decided to date. But we kept things low-key. We did not want to risk breaking the group or m
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