Tension rippled between both parties the very moment they came face to face. The air in the corridor seemed to get colder.It was as if none of them wanted to lose the staring contest as they didn't break eye contact until a nurse walked by and looked at them as if they all had double heads."Zara, it seems we just keep running into each other. What brings you here?" Cora finally broke the silence.With an eye roll, Zara uttered, "That's none of your business."She was just about to turn around when Scott piped up, "Who's this guy?"Zara tilted her head and gave him a bombastic side-eye. She wanted to repeat the last words she said, but when she noticed Cora clinging to him tighter, she blurted out, "This is George Thatcher, my boyfriend!"The corner of Scott's left eye twitched when he heard this. He set his mouth to a grim line and alternated his stare from Zara to her quasi-boyfriend.He had pretended not to give a hoot about Zara's new relationship when his friends told him. But n
The construction of the city park in Beecroft was halfway through to completion. Zara had been working so hard that she barely noticed the change in her bodyIt had been five months since she last ran into Scott or spoke to him on the phone. Although she was thankful for this, she had a bad feeling that when he finally showed up, he would bring along more troubles with him.And just like that, her fears came to pass. Zara was on the grounds for the ongoing city park one sunny afternoon. She had on a helmet and safety vest and was holding an umbrella over her head. She was speaking with Brielle, who was jotting down some things when a shiny car suddenly pulled up on the premises. Its tires on the gravel caused a loud drifting sound that startled Zara.She held her belly as she turned around with a slight frown. Under the bright sunlight, the door of the car opened slowly. A head with black shiny hair appeared a second later. The man was wearing dark sunglasses and his chiseled jawline
Mia was on the set of a shoot for a winter collection. During her break, her assistant came into her dressing room to inform her that she had a visitor. The name she heard next shocked her to the bones and also infuriated her."I thought my assistant was joking when she told me you were looking for me. To what do I owe this very unpleasant surprise, Scott Brown?" Mia asked with a frown as she walked over to where Scott stood."I have one question for you."Suddenly, Mia threw her head back and laughed out loud. "Who the hell do you think you are, Scott? Why do you think you can just show up at my workplace and demand whatever?"Running his fingers through his damp hair, Scott said, "Look, I didn't come here to argue or pick a fight. I just need answers. How far along is your friend, Zara? Is the baby mine?"Mia rolled her eyes at him. She sniffed the air around him. "Do you have some screws loose? Or did whatever you smoked affect your brain? What makes you think I will tell you Zara'
Scott wasted no time rushing down to the hospital in the company of Cora and the baby. He broke out in cold sweat as soon as they were allowed to go into the doctor's office.While he looked nervous, Cora had a faint smile on her face. The baby was nestled on her bosom as she stared at the doctor's face.The doctor took out an envelope from his drawer. "I didn't expect you both to come so soon. Anyway, here is the result of the paternity test."After yanking the envelope away, Scott flipped it open and took out the document. He skimmed through it as his eyebrows knitted in confusion. "I don't understand what it says, doc. Am I the baby's father or not?"The doctor glanced at Cora for a second. Then, he cleared his throat and replied, "Mr. Brown, you are the father!"A truckload of emotions was heaped on Scott as soon as he heard this. His hand which was holding the paper shook. He didn't know how to feel, what to say, or even do. This wasn't the result he had expected at all. Althoug
Four years later. An important meeting was going on in the boardroom of Hall Corporations. Several directors spoke up one by one, arguing about the new expansion. Zara watched in silence. "I don't think it's a good idea! Keystone Group and our company are the ones doing well in the stock market right now. For this reason, we should focus on our current services instead of branching out." Hearing that argument, another director hit the table and sprang to his feet. "Business is about risk-taking. How can we make profits if we don't spread our wings for once?" "What if our wings get clipped off before we even reach our destination? Have you forgotten that we only just regained the company's glory a couple of years ago?" the first director fired back. "This isn't the Hall Corporations of yesterday. Our CEO has made sure we won't be worrying about going back to square one ever again." The second director argued and then turned to the woman sitting at the head of the table. "Ms. Hall,
Scott stared at her for what seemed like eternity. The last thing he expected was for Zara to show up now. She had been avoiding him for the past few years. Even after she gave birth, she spared him no chance to see her child, let alone answered his biggest question. What in God's name brought her here today? With Herculean effort, Scott snapped back to reality and said calmly, "This is a closed-door meeting, Zara. I don't think you should be here!""How are you so sure about that, Mr. Brown? Don't you wanna know what happened to two of the shareholders?" Zara asked with a mischievous smile. A look of dread appeared on Scott's face as soon as he heard that. What was this woman up to now?Zara dropped her bag on the table and took her seat. "Well, the men you are waiting for won't be showing up again. I'm taking their place.""What?" Came the exclamations from the shareholders at the table. They looked at each other in confusion and then back at Zara, who relished their astonishment.
Zara burst into tears the second she got into her car. She could feel her heart breaking yet again. No words hurt her more than the ones Scott said to her just now.Although she had always suspected that he blamed her for what happened to their parents, he never said it to her face. As tears streamed down her cheeks, her sinuses were triggered. Zara sniffed hard as phlegm almost found its way to her mouth.She rested her head on the steering wheel and stayed there for an indeterminate amount of time. She had come here to show Scott that she meant business. Little did she know she would be leaving in tears.By the time her eyes were sore, Zara finally wiped the tears on her face and cleaned her snot with a handkerchief. She started the ignition of her car. Just as she was about to drive out of the parking lot, she saw someone familiar.Dressed in a pair of jeans and a shiny blouse, Cora stepped out of a black Maybach. She then helped someone else out of the car. It was a little boy—a t
It had been a busy weekend for Zara. While her son's birthday party was going to be held next Saturday, she made all the major preparations at home before Monday came along. Although she was kind of tired this morning, she didn't fail to drive her son to school as always. She wanted to meet his friend and also invite him officially to Jayden's birthday."Pooh bear, you said that Tommy comes to school early too because his father drops him off, right?" Zara asked, glancing at the baby car monitor to see her son who was in his car seat.The little boy nodded with bright eyes. "Sometimes, we play before classes start.""You like playing, huh?" Zara couldn't help laughing. She could still remember how unwilling Jayden had been after his first day at school. "Mommy, I don't want to go back there. Can't I stay with you every day?" he had said with a pout.For a second, she had considered homeschooling him. But when she remembered that she couldn't shield him from the outside world forever,