Calista fiddled around with Mackenzie’s collar. “I know.”“Where’s Cameron?”“He’s sleeping.” Calista answered, then added eagerly, “Thank you, mommy, for letting us go back to school again.”Mackenzie’s voice went softer as she patted Calista’s hair lovingly, “Baby, you don’t have to thank me. It’s mommy’s duties to make sure you go to school. Did you have fun at school, today?”“Yes! I had so much fun with my friends. I missed a lot of school games and activities, but I’m happy to be back again. I never want to stop going to school again!”Mackenzie lets out a small smile when Calista stumbles over some of the words in her enthusiasm, but within, there was a tug at her heart. She should never have stopped them from going to school out of fear, like a damn coward.That was such a bad decision on her part. What was she thinking?She sighed lightly and brushed Calista’s light hair away from her face. Her baby girl’s hair kept getting less dark and more light every day. She wondered who
Mackenzie was ready to go through anything so her kids don’t suffer any more hardships in life. She had to be there for Cameron and his little baseball games, Calista’s art classes or piano classes. Whatever interests they develop as they grow, no matter how fleeting it might be.She would not impose anything on them, just let them follow their own interests, and support them.Whatever her babies chose to do, she was going to work hard for it. She was going to work so hard in the Axford company to be acknowledged as a real employee, and not just someone brought in by the CEO.Not acknowledged as Jeffrey’s ex-wife, but as Mackenzie Torsney.Axford already had a long history of greatness, and she was going to leave her own footprints in the sands of their memories. She sighed and tugged Cameron’s blanket over him, tucking him in lovingly. She leaned in to place a kiss on his head, noting how if felt like she could see a bigger version of Cameron at work.It was fascinating.And at home,
The manager got up from his seat, along with his assistant. The assistant stepped forward and said to Jeffrey in a placating tone,“Sir, you have to be authorized.”Jeffrey’s expression showed that he thought those words were actually bullshit. He slid his card out from his pocket and flung it at the assistant’s chest.“Is that enough fucking authorization for you?” He spat. The assistant glanced down at the card and gave the manager a wide eyed stare. The manager swallowed and asked tentatively, “You are Chase Axford’s brother?”That question triggered so much anger in Jeffrey that he has the maddening urge to smash the Manager’s jaw in. There was nothing in this fucking world that gave his ego a devastating blow, as being a brother to Chase Axford. Not just a brother, but a stepbrother. Someone who a lot of people barely even noticed no matter how hard he tried.Chase effortlessly stole the spotlight with every single thing he did. He was the leader of the Axford Conglomerate, desp
“Yes, we do.” The manager responded and turned to the security men, “Check the parking lot footage, of that same date.”Jeffrey stepped back in front of the large screens and watched it carefully. There was a figure on the screen, stepping out into the parking lot and carrying a woman in his arms. “Right there! Wait.” Jeffrey pointed at the screen, something bitter like bile rising in his throat as he recognized who the man was. They did not even need to zoom in for this one. He recognized that fucking infuriating set of broad shoulders, and that tall build, even if the face was hidden under a face cap.It was fucking Chase.His teeth gritted when he looked at the woman in his arms, and saw that it was the same woman walking away from him back at the bar area. The woman with the curly long hair, skimpy dress and high heels.His mind automatically flashed back to the picture the reporter had taken of Chase holding Mackenzie and protecting her from another man. Chase. Mackenzie. Ch
Mrs. Weston moved to sit down on a bench by the hedge of some flowers, while Cameron and Calista looked around. Cameron spotted two people playing a ball a few meters away and he desperately wanted to go watch them, so he looked back at Charlotte’s mom,“Granny, can I go watch those people?”She was hesitant, but Cameron gave her puppy eyes and clasped his hands together, “Please, please, granny?”She let out a sigh, and gave in, “Alright, Cameron. But stay where I can see you, okay? Calista, you can go ahead and look at the flowers too. But don’t go far!”Cameron was already running in the opposite direction, but Calista waited to respond, “Okay, granny.”She turned around and slowly walked by the hedges of flowers, looking at each brightly colored petal and flower arrangements in fascination. Sometimes, she bent close to smell the flowers and see which one had the best smell. She was smiling to herself and having so much fun, that she had no idea she was walking far away from wher
Richard stopped her, and suggested in a gentle tone. “Okay, Calista. Why don’t we just go inside the hospital and your granny will come meet us instead?”Calista nodded, fiddling her fingers around the flower. He asked, “What is your granny’s name?” “I don’t know. But I also came with Aunt Felicity. We came to visit granny, with my brother.”He moved to hold her small hand, leading her out of the garden. “Let’s go look for Aunt Felicity then. Okay?”“Okay.”Richard led her into the hospital building and they took a private elevator to the broadcast room. On entering, the workers in there snapped up in surprise to see Richard Axford in there with a little girl.“Sir?—”“This little girl needs to find her family somewhere in this hospital so make an announcement telling Aunt Felicity to come get Calista at Reception hall C.” He said.“Of course, sir. Right away, sir.” They made the announcement and after, he led her to the reception hall where they would wait for her family to show u
“Have you noticed anything about Calista’s eyesight?” Richard asked Felicity.She frowned slightly, “Sight? Not really.” She took a quick glance back at Calista sitting with Mrs. Weston. “Is there something wrong?”He nodded. “Yes, back in the garden, I noticed that she can’t see far. She does not know when it started, so I believe it has been going on for a while now. If it was sudden, she would definitely have said something.”Felicity’s eyes shifted to rest on Calista again, and for the first time ever, she noticed that she was straining her eyes in a certain way to view the images on the TV screen. She felt a tug in her heart in realization. How did they not realize this sooner.The little girl literally lived with three adult women who were supposed to notice things quickly, yet no one did. But a kind stranger who found her just a while ago had already picked up on the fact that there was something wrong.Richard saw the downcast expression on Felicity’s face, and he quickly trie
Chase watched his father stare down at the gardens below as if he was looking for one last glimpse of the girl. Richard sighed and continued, “Seeing that little girl made me genuinely wish I had a grandchild like her. To keep me company sometimes, you know? Such a sweet and intelligent girl.”He glanced sideways at Chase, “Being in the presence of kids is so therapeutic to an old man like me, don’t you know? Being in the presence of that child made me feel less lonely and happier. But now? That loneliness is starting to weigh down on me again, as she is not my grandchild who can spend as much time with me as she wants.”Chase definitely did not want to have this conversation again, but to his relief, his father was not really looking for a conversation. The old man just wanted someone to listen to him. Chase wondered why his father was putting himself through this when he could just tell his wife the truth and have her come keep him company here in the hospital.But then, Chase knew
EPILOGUECameron felt nostalgic, sitting down in the same seat he had been sitting—six months ago—when he met the woman of his dreams. She had walked on the stage with a grace only a swan could possess and she had captivated his attention and stolen his heart not long after. But compared to Cameron's first visit to the bar, he noticed how empty the bar was. It was heavily decorated—surprisingly—but also unoccupied. Cameron's eyes swept over the room, taking in every decoration that seemed to have been done with precision. Balloons, ribbons, candles, everything felt strangely comforting.He was still sweeping over the area with his eyes when the lights suddenly went out, leaving him in the dark. "Hey, is anyone here?!" He called out into the darkness, hoping someone would hear and come to his aid. It was odd that he heard no noise at all but what felt even more odd to him was the fact that he had agreed to go over to the bar in the first place.Calista had caller earlier and said some
"Don't you think it would be better to just ask her stuff about them? We know them individually but Liza knows them personally." Emily said to her knucklehead sister, knowing she had just found a solution to their six hour long problem but another one was secretly embedded in Calista seeing her suggestion as a good approach to things or if she wouldn't. Luckily for both of them, Calista bought the idea. "Why didn't I think of that sooner?" She asked no one in particular as she flashed a huge smile at her little sister, wondering how their parents had given birth to such a brilliant child. It wasn't like Calista and her twin brother, Cameron, were a disaster, it was just that, Emily was, well, better.But smart or not, Calista was in the middle of planning for the best proposal ever and she wanted everything to be perfect. Cameron had—unsurprisingly—entrusted her with the task of making sure everything went well with his proposal to Liza and Emily had just given Calista a stepping sto
Turns out reconciliation wasn't as hard as Chad had assumed it to be. It was just surprising how easily his family had accepted him back, as if he had not walked out on them over ten years ago. How could they be so loving after everything he had put them through? Chad couldn't wrap his head around the whole situation at all. But that wasn't all he was battling in as he stood at the balcony of his new apartment, looking down at the street just opposite his place. From where he was, Chad could see different people moving around in pairs and some, even in groups.Anyone could clearly see how different they all were, occupied in their little worlds, without any knowledge of what was to come next for any of them. But still, they kept moving, defying the odds over and over again and just basically living life the way they pleased. It was scary but very admirable. The strangers reminded him so much of Calista, the artist that had woven her way into his heart as unexpectedly as the rain wou
"I don't think we should be doing this every morning, Annie. I will be late for work and Calista wouldn't like you coming in late either. Do you want to upset your coach? I thought you adored her, it seems like I was wrong." Liza knew the best way to get her eight year old out of the house was by emotional blackmailing and at the moment, it was working perfectly.In no time, Annie raced down the stairs, carrying her carrier along with her. Liza found herself staring at her daughter and thinking about how things had changed so much in just two months. It felt surreal but then, change had always been a scary thing for her, this time wasn't an exception. "Are you ready, mum?" Annie asked with an accusing glare fixed on her face. Liza felt she was ready but according to Annie's standards of being ready, she was far from it. Her hair wasn't yet in its usual ponytail and Liza's bag was somewhere in the apartment, instead of her arm. But how could she get her bag as quickly as Annie wanted?
Waking up didn't seem as tiresome as it used to be anymore for Chad, infact, the start of a new day excited him–especially this day. It was the day he was finally going back home but that wasn't what was exciting to him. Just the thought of introducing a woman like Calista Axford to his family was thrilling. There was a chance that his enthusiasm would be shared but Chad was past caring. Calista was his and that was all that mattered to him. His father had always been a critically judgemental man and if anyone could thaw his ice cold heart, Chad was sure Calista was the perfect candidate for the job. Wasn't he proof enough of her skills?Chad couldn't believe he had walked into a random gallery and had met tye woman or his dreams. It was even more dreamy because he had never envisioned the kind of life he was now getting accustomed to. In his case, seeing really was believing. Calista's love was something he had to experience to believe it could happen to him. Standing up with a sm
“Are you sure you don't want me to accompany you to the hospital? It does'nt seem like thats the only place you'd be visiting today, though.” Emily spoke under her breath, watching her sister turn the wardrobe in and out, looking for an outfit to wear to her doctor's appointment. No, it wasn't weird at all that Calista suddenly wanted to put an effort into her choice of clothing. Weird was not the word, surprising was. Emily felt something was going on with her sister but she wanted Calista to spill the beans herself. It didn't make waiting for the reveal an easy task.Calista could barely see her sister's suspicious stare, her head had been in the wardrobe for what seemed like an eternity. Pulling herself out for a second, she shot Emily a blank stare, “What do you mean by that?” her question was as confused as the look she had plastered on her face.“I am not a child, Cali,” Emily retorted, moving towards the wardrobe. “I know something is up with you, something sweet and most like
Driving to Liza's place, Cameron found himself entertaining the same thoughts as Chad. Forever didn't look bad at all but how was he going to get there? How was he going to show this defensive single mother that he was ready to lend her a helping hand for a long time?Cameron was brainstorming when his phone started ringing, snatching his attention back to the present. He quickly turned off the radio—that no one was actually listening to—and picked up the call. Stephanie's voice echoed in the car, claiming even Annie's attention.“Good day, Sir,” she greeted politely, “I wanted to let you know that the contract has been drawn out for the deal but it requires your signature, sir.” there was urgency in her voice, it made Cameron feel uneasy. Usually, deals of this magnitude didn't require much stress.“Didn't we already do that in the meeting?” he inquired flatly, flashing Annie a quick smile. For some unknown reason, he felt she could sense his unease. “Alright then,” he said in resign
Chad's first thought was to kill Jason for going behind his back and selling off the painting but when he had been told who the purchaser was, he had wanted to kill himself instead. There was no other way around it, he just had to get to Calista first.As Chad rode his bike to the gallery, he realized he had no idea what to say to her. His initial plan had been to show her the portrait at the exhibition and then have her take it home as a present. But that would have been after Chad had revealed his identity as her anonymous artist.It was a simple plan, it should have worked. Only that it didn't work at all. Infact, it had gone terribly wrong. They had been too occupied—kissing in the balcony—and Calista had ended up leaving without seeing the portrait. Then, the potrait had ended up in Cameron's possession.I will just have to let her know that I am Hell's Demon and apologize for not telling her sooner, Chad concluded in his head as he pulled into the street that led to the gallery.
Motherhood, they say, always came with some exciting changes but to Liza, they were more terrifying than fun. She couldn't deny the fact that she used to enjoy it but with Annie growing older with each passing day, Liza found herself questioning her sanity, along with a good number of things.“Mum, you know the bus leaves in ten minutes, right?!” Annie called out to her mum as she hurriedly packed up her paintings. They never went early to anything at all and even though Liza detested tardiness, she had unconsciously become an ambassador of it.Breathlessly, Liza rushed into the living room, hauling her purse along with Annie's art equipments. That was the name for Annie's art supplies because she felt 'supplies' was a mundane word. The eight year old had put up quite a lengthy explanation —afterwards—and Liza had been forced to go along with it.Ignoring her very sweaty mother, Annie quickly grabbed the materials from Liza and started stuffing them into her carrier. The school had od