Lydia had overheard some of their conversations. A sense of nothingness spread over her.She had no plans, no destination. She could only follow them wherever they were going.Otherwise, where else could she go?Lydia had lived a sheltered life and did not know how to care for herself.Lester had spent a lot of money on her education, but she had barely paid attention to her studies. She had bribed the lecturers and done the bare minimum needed to get a passing grade. Even that had been too tough for her.She knew how to shop, party, and enjoy her life. But now she was homeless and destitute. How could she do any of that?She didn’t even know how to earn her next meal.As much as she did not like Leena’s haughty attitude, she had no choice but to stick with them.She threatened to sue them for kidnapping her, and after a lengthy quarrel, they had no choice but to agree with her.Jonas went out to file a police report, and they tidied up everything quickly.Jonas also asked his neighbo
A few weeks went by slowly. But Lydia stayed in her limbo, unable to cope with her circumstances.One day, out of the blue, Jonas came back looking flustered and said a man who claimed to be friends with her father was out to see her.Lydia had never acknowledged Romeo as her father, so she assumed Lester’s friend or a friend of Aprices had come to help her.But when she went out the door, she was dumbfounded.The man in front of her was visibly a thug. She internally chagrined at being seen with him.But she had to remind herself of her circumstances and bite the bullet.The man offered her a job of sorts.Lydia went back to her room with a head full of thoughts.Although she hated Liliana very much, she could never hurt a child. But she had no money and no place to stay. She was conflicted.The people had promised that they would only scare the kids at most. She kept swaying either way and did not return to her senses after a long time.A few days later, she was still undecided.Coi
As the Smith family banquet came near, Liliana and Jonathan had an awkward problem.Kyle was a Preston, and they could not introduce him at the banquet.Liliana called Kyle into the study and asked him directly.“Kyle, you know, there’s going to be a banquet in Jonathan’s old house in two weeks.”Kyle nodded his head, “Yes, Mommy.”Liliana pursed her lips and said, “Initially, we planned to have you stay back with Granduncle Green, but now the plans have changed.”Kyle looked at her curiously.Liam had started Kyle on several different training, and he was becoming a poker face like his father.Because of who his mother was, Kyle had a natural affinity for hiding his emotions and not letting anything slip. He was getting so much better at it that Liliana was worried that she would not be able to read him soon enough.She suppressed her emotions and hugged Kyle.“Kyle, you are my son. I love you so much. I don’t want you to be a part of an adult’s scheme. But I can not change your birt
Liliana and Jonathan took their twins to meet Jonathan’s grandmother - Emma Miller Smith.The visit was scheduled weeks in advance.Old Madam Smith had tried her best to call her son and daughter-in-law back home. But they had declined irrevocably.Jonathan’s parents - Tyler Smith and Sophia Smith, had left P City when Jonathan returned to take over the company at the age of 22. They had not even bothered to teach him the ropes or help him establish his position.They handed him the shares and the reins and just left. They had not returned since, and it seemed they did not plan to return anytime soon.Jonathan wasn’t surprised.His grandmother had forced his parents to have a child - an heir.His mother was infertile, and they had used her eggs, which - thankfully - were viable to make him in IVF.Then they used an unnamed surrogate to give birth to him.His parents were college sweethearts, but his mother was a foreigner, and the union suffered a lot of backlash.Emma had forced Soph
Jonathan, Liliana, Nathaniel, and Joyanna sat in the garden waiting for the old lady Smith.The entire household was abuzz. The butler had informed all the servants to be on their best behavior as they would receive the heirs of the Smith family for the first time.They waited on the family of four on hand and foot.The butler escorted Emma Miller-Smith to the garden. Her health had started failing recently, and it affected her mobility.But she wanted to ensure the younger generations knew she was the head and in charge.She sat down on the couch and looked at them.Liliana was mindful of her courtesies. She went to the old lady and knelt before her, showing her respect.She passed her a wrapped gift box and muttered.“Grandma, please accept my greetings. I am sorry for not paying you respect for all these years.”The old madam did not dare to make things difficult for her. Jonathan had warned her that any future visits would depend on her performance.As such, she helped her up and
It had been a month since Romeo and Rose’s imprisonment.Lester’s health was rapidly failing, and so was the Aprice Group. He struggled to clear his tasks and leave P city.He was unhappy about leaving P City with his tail between his legs, but what other choice did he have?Leonardo sent his assistant to meet Rose and Romeo.Rose was surprised to see that Leonardo had sent over his assistant, but she could not hide her hope.She had raised Leonardo as her own.The assistant informed her how sorry Leonardo was for her. Irrespective of everything, she was innocent of Lester’s ruthlessness in feeding his mother abortifacients to get rid of him.For the sake of years of affection, he had sent a gift.The assistant passed along the proof of Lester and his lawyer tricking Rose out of her kidney and attempting Lydia’s kidnapping.Leonardo’s assistant also gave them a flat on the outskirts of the town. It wasn’t much, but Lydia would have a roof over her head.Romeo was ecstatic.He could fi
Time flew by as Rose, Romeo, and Lester - and their accomplice - served their terms.Rose was in poor health. She had acquired a scornful attitude when she was Mrs. Aprice, which made it difficult for her to live in prison with other inmates.The frequent scrimmages made her life miserable, for she would often get beaten. They would steal her food and leave the most disgusting or difficult work for her.Moreover, she was depressed because of the loss of her second child. Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she was almost at the end of her life.But when she was close to kicking the bucket, she received another piece of news.Her son had been cremated and buried. His ashes were waiting for her.She begged the guards for an audience with Liliana, but Liliana had cut off her past.Liliana did not want to deal with her or Lester or any past. She had moved on and no longer cared about petty grudges.As far as Liliana was concerned, Lester, Rose, and Romeo had gotten their due. The dead we
Finally, the much anticipated day of the Smith Family banquet arrived.Jonathan Smith - the golden bachelor and wealthiest man of P-City turned henpecked husband who had married up - hosted a large banquet in the Smith family mansion to introduce his wife and kids to everyone.Liliana Petrova Smith was an enigma, and her children - the future heirs of more than half of the P City economy - were even more mysterious.Jonathan and Liliana had done a great job hiding their children.When the word got out that they had kids, they had to announce it formally and introduce them to everyone.Most bigwigs of P city had received an invite. Their business partners, family friends, close associates, senior employees, board members, and many people came together to see the kids.Jonathan and Liliana, being the hosts, welcomed everyone and walked around the hall since the first guest showed up.Leonardo, Mariana, James, Vincent, and Alice helped them receive their guests.Henry, Jennifer, and Terr
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