Jonathan and Liliana enjoyed their time together with their twins without bothering about the news.For the first time in his life, Jonathan felt immensely happy and content at the same time.He vowed to protect his wife and children to the best of his abilities. He wanted to spend the rest of his life making up for his absence for the past seven years.Neither went to work or checked social media.The next day all their friends joined them for lunch. Liam, Kyle, Mariana, Henry, Jennifer, James, and Vincent were present.Liliana proposed an unusual toast to them.“If my husband and I are separated again, I hope you all will stay neutral and be friends with us both. And Mer, please don’t hold grudges anymore. I am equally at fault, and you can’t excuse my mistakes just because I got pregnant and chose to give birth without telling him. Cheers to a fresh start!”Liam knew it already, so he just congratulated them.“Congratulations! You finally fessed up, Lil. Jonathan - Lil is the siste
Liliana sighed, looking at her way too-mature son. She had hoped for him to be more childish, but he was growing up to be more and more mature and private.Jonathan rubbed her head and hugged her shoulders as she sighed with a defeated look on her pretty face.“He will be fine. I was also like that as a child. He may have taken after me.” He tried to console Liliana.She shook her head.“You were happy when you stayed the week with us on that beach. I feel like I have failed as a parent when I see Li behaving like an adult.”Jonathan rubbed her back and soothed her.“You are the best mother the kids could have hoped for - Don’t doubt that! It is my fault that Li is like that. He has assumed my responsibility. That and his natural personality have made him like that.”“Let me handle this. I will show our son that he can be carefree because I will be there for him, his little sister, and his mother.”Liliana sniffled and hugged him, “Do you hate me? It was my sole decision to hide this
Liliana had dried her hair in the bathroom before coming out.Her face was slightly red, and she looked rather desirable in the nightgown as she walked while fixing her short hair into a bun.Although she was wearing a very conservative loose nightgown which made it impossible to know much, knowing that she was naked underneath it reminded him of some vague but pleasing moments of their wedding night.He shook off his thoughts as she stood by the bed, unsure of what to do.“Do you want me to go to the guest room?” He said after a fake cough.“I want to, but I know I should not.” She replied with a pout and glare.“Do you remember anything from our wedding night?” He asked, pulling her wrist and making her sit beside him.“Not much. Just some vague things. I remember you were nice to me after I scolded you.” She laughed as her cheeks had a faint blush.“I am sorry about that. I was trying to throw you out of the room, but I don’t know what happened.”He scratched his head as he continu
Jonathan woke up in the morning at his usual time. His biological clock was accurate, and he did not even need an alarm.He was surprised that his lovely little wife was using him as a pillow and mattress - half of her body sprawled on his body. He wondered how she slept with the kids like this.But then he remembered how she had woken up and checked on the kids repeatedly the night before. He looked at her dotingly and mentally swore to let her sleep this carefreely for the rest of her life.He watched her for a while without moving and fell asleep again.Liliana woke up and found herself entangled with Jonathan. She had wanted to make him sleep in the guest room at night and yet managed to sleep on top of him at night.She scolded herself for her clumsiness and slowly moved to a less embarrassing position.Her careful, slow movements were enough to wake Jonathan up, but he pretended to be asleep and did not move. He wanted to know how she would react.She was always calm and confide
The kids went off to their routine - classes, training, exercise, etc. They were both home-schooled and had set habits.Liliana knew that being her kids and Jonathan's kids came with responsibilities other than privileges. She meant to groom the kids well so they could ease into their roles or find their footing when the time came.At the same time, she wanted the kids to enjoy their childhood until they came to a certain age.She had delicately planned every step of their childhood to ensure they grew up well-groomed while still enjoying their youth and innocence.Finally, Jonathan and Liliana sat down to discuss the issue at hand - their scandal that was still very popular after three days.“How do you want to deal with this?” Jonathan asked Liliana.He had been absent from work the last two days, and everyone seemed to take his absence as admittance.“Aren’t you the one being called a home-wrecker?” She joked.“This is your play. You are the boss.” He emphasized as he was in no moo
Vincent froze for half a second on hearing Jonathan’s angry growl. But he came back to his senses right away. He had been used to it after all those years.Having known Jonathan for many years - he had already prepared to deal with the scandal - he was only waiting for his go-ahead.As such, Vincent could answer his livid boss right away.“I have the plan ready and will move everything in place by the time you arrive in the office. I had security clear the underground parking. There are no reporters. I have added a dozen more guards in case of anything.”Vincent replied confidently, having known his boss’s temper. Jonathan was a good man - as long as you did not rub him the wrong way.He stayed out of everyone’s business and treated everyone fairly. As his employee, Vincent only needed to be competent and loyal.“Be there in twenty minutes. Email me anything urgent.” Jonathan hung up after that.Vincent was capable, and Jonathan did not need to be worried.Jonathan worked on his lapto
Even though Jonathan had taken two days off without proper planning, there wasn’t as much work as one would expect.Vincent and his elite team of sub-secretaries took care of most things urgently. Only some critical and sensitive things were held off, waiting for his approval.But even then, Jonathan had a busy day as there was still a lot to handle and too many meetings to attend. He wanted to finish everything early and return to his wife and children.His family!He smiled involuntarily, thinking of his family. The word and what it meant to him brought a fresh gush of gratitude and contentment.The day passed in a blur for Jonathan, but that was not the case for others.The Smith Group was buzzing.Jonathan had come to the office that day and was in a splendid mood. This news spread like wildfire throughout the company.‘Why did the President take two days off after the auction?’‘Maybe he was celebrating a mini-honeymoon with Mrs. Liliana. Did you see the light in his eyes?’‘He s
Liliana only posted one statement a few minutes before Vincent’s post. Though it only became viral after Vincent's post.She wrote without tagging anyone.“I have a clear conscience in my marriage. I have my reasons for not revealing my husband and children in public. I hope you will respect my privacy.I thank everyone who has shown their support and belief in me.I hope everyone will show kindness and empathy - in real life and on the internet. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”People fawned over her post, which was simple and to the point. She did not clarify who her husband was or anything about Jonathan. Since it came before Vincent’s post, everyone assumed it wasn’t related.The cyberbullying of the anti-fans decreased dramatically, and many loyal fans apologized to the anti-fans for their aggressive behavior.That, in turn, helped Liliana garner many more fans and her anti-fans converted to loyalists.Vivian was enraged seeing that.But she comforted herself. Noth
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