Hours later. Garvin and Iris got home to ready meals waiting for them in a warmer on the dining table. From the setup, both Garvin and Iris could tell that this was not done by Luna or the maids. “Is this how she used to cook for you?” Iris asked curiously and Garvin nodded his head in the affirmative. There was a sad smile on his face as he recalled the times when Caroline would reserve food for him just like this and he would either ignore it or flash it down the toilet. “She is a very good woman,” he said bitterly and Iris noticed the heavy emotions in his voice. She wasn’t sorry for him though, as she felt it was his punishment for not investigating matters before jumping to conclusions. “Yeah, but I hope she isn’t asleep yet. I intended to come earlier,” Iris said with a smile, as she noticed how the food was arranged on the dining table. It reminded her of her mom but she was not surprised that her mother hadn’t called her too often and was grateful for it because the wo
Caroline blinked back her tears. She knew it wasn’t Garvin’s fault and didn’t want him to beat himself up to anything. “Come on, it’s all in the past.” “So how did you survive?” Garvin asked, glad that Caroline was more mature and kinder. However, when she began to explain everything to him, he could not help but feel terrible. “It wasn’t easy. Your father had another job but it wasn’t as lucrative as the first. You were so smart that the scholarship covered your expenses. I was very happy that you didn’t have to drop out of school because of our financial struggles.” “You should have told me,” Garvin spoke in a bitter tone. Right from school, his business was picking up and he kept sending them money, which he recalled Iris telling him that his mother never used any of it. It hurt so much that his behavior towards them, caused them to secretly reject his kindness. Caroline explained. “I tried to do so but you won’t even give me an audience. Garvin, you were always our lucky cha
Garvin’s gaze softened the moment he realized what had happened.This little man was a car freak like his father and Garvin knew he should have been careful since he was aware that the boys should have been dropped off by now.He just thought they would be sleeping by this time but equally remembered that it was a weekend tomorrow.“Gerald, welcome home,” Garvin smiled and said, Gerald let out a warm smile and responded,“Thank you.” He was glad that Garvin was not upset about almost having an accident because of the latest toy car he was testing.This one was very special to him because of how he added special features with the help of his father.“Dad, Mom,” the twins went to hug their parents and after pleasantries, Garvin picked the golden car from the floor, stunned by its appearance.Gerald’s car designs were different but also very attractive, Garvin wished to see a real car made to fit that design.It was not surprising that Iris also fell in love with the car, due to the femi
The weather was chilly at the Parker’s Grand Hotel, the most luxurious five-star hotel in New York City, yet there was no snow.A vast, well-decorated, well-lit Christmas tree stood in front of the hotel amidst other decorations onlookers could not tear their eyes from.The valets waited at the hotel entrance, neatly dressed for the occasion and ready to receive guests.The media houses were the first to arrive, and inside the well-decorated elegant hotel auditorium, the servers were already in a position to receive guests for the party.On the children’s side, there were so many different fun games, and some of the caretakers were dressed in funny cartoon characters and Santa Claus outfits to warm and excite the kids' atmosphere.Aside from that, there were varieties of food and drinks awaiting them, as well as snacks.Cars began to pull over, and being the host, Iris and Garvin were the first to arrive. In a different vehicle were Iris’s parents.Austin was also going to co-host wit
This collaboration is between Berret's Housing, led by myself, and the Parker's Group, led by my fiancé, Iris Parker, with the goal of bringing all businesses together in a joyful event.""All the companies we invited attended, and we appreciate those CEOs who couldn't make it for sending representatives on their behalf.""We are also pleased to announce that we have experienced caretakers like myself available to entertain the children of those who attended."The audience erupted in laughter at Garvin's statement, knowing his love for children thanks to the media.Garvin and Iris stood confidently at the podium, as they had agreed to deliver the opening speech together.Anastasia, Iris's assistant, and Eric, Garvin's assistant, were handling most of the business collaborations, while the bosses attended to the needs of the guests."Without further ado, we officially declare this Christmas Party open and hope that everyone leaves with unforgettable memories," Garvin stepped aside to a
“What are you doing here and where is she?" Phoebe asked when she spotted Evangeline walking alone with a glass of white wine in hand.Evangeline frowned, searching for a suitable place to dispose of the glass and its contents."Where is the kitchen? Should I give this to a waiter?" she asked her mother, who was slightly taken aback by her thoughtlessness."No, what if someone accidentally drinks it? Where is Iris? Why haven't you given it to her?" Phoebe asked, growing annoyed.This task had proven to be the most challenging yet, as Iris seemed to constantly slip away from her grasp.Phoebe was growing tired of it all and disappointed that Evangeline once again failed to bring Iris to the designated room."She said she can't drink alcohol because she needs to stay alert as the host," Evangeline explained, her expression darkening.She despised Iris for not only captivating Garvin with her beauty, but also for making everything so complicated.Phoebe went to find a waiter, determined
Iris was still upset that Garvin had taken so long to arrive when she had expected him to be there earlier."What took you so long?" Iris asked, unable to hide her annoyance.Garvin smiled at her and replied honestly, "I was enjoying the show."As soon as he left the auditorium, he checked the car's installed cameras' software and thoroughly enjoyed everything he saw.Confused, Evangeline asked, "Wait, what's going on?" as she helped her mother up from the floor.She hadn't expected Iris to be one step ahead of her all this time. Was that the reason for her confidence?"Oh, Superwoman, I forgot to mention that I went to bring someone. That's my second reason for being late," Garvin recalled before opening the door and allowing Caroline to walk in.Evangeline's expression instantly dulled upon seeing Caroline.She left her mother's side and approached Garvin, asking in a serious tone,"Garvin, what is she doing here? She almost killed you."Iris chuckled and covered her mouth."Sorry,
Phil, what are you doing here?" Evangeline exclaimed, rising to her feet and rushing to embrace her husband.She could sense that he had missed her and had come looking for her. Or perhaps, he was worried because she hadn't answered his phone call, as she was busy enjoying herself with that other man.Evangeline felt a pang of guilt for betraying Phil's love for her. He had gone to such lengths to find her.However, as her body made contact with his, she realized that something was different. He didn't embrace her back and remained as stiff as a statue.Phil's expression turned cold as he questioned, "Is this the business meeting you mentioned?"Guilt flickered in Evangeline's eyes, but she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck."Yes, this is a business meeting. There's just a small issue. But where are the kids?"Phil was furious, forcefully pulling her arm away and pushing her aside. She stumbled, but managed to steady herself by grabbing onto the dining table and removing her st
Garvin had a small smile on his face. Cooper and Gerald might be wise, but Garvin was still more experienced. “Your method would not have been the best.” “I would have sent them to jail,” Gerald said. He hated that Yvette and Nathaniel were walking around freely, so what if they were impoverished? “They would have served a few terms and then be walking free. They would also come back to enjoy their family’s wealth as if nothing happened. It’s the reason why I took this action,” Garvin explained. It made sense to Cooper and Gerald that though their plan would punish those two well, it would have also been for a short term, but Garvin’s method was a long-term one. “Fine, but next time, you should discuss with us first,” Cooper insisted, but Garvin refused and explained, “Ivory is also my daughter.” Thus, he didn’t need anyone’s permission to protect his daughter. The three men all loved Ivory in different ways, and they were ready to avenge her. Since there was no way around Garvin
Ivory may be resilient and resourceful, but this time, she felt the security of being with her family. Gerald was already there for her, but so were her brothers and parents.Nathaniel was not only humiliated but also afraid. With all these powerful men threatening him, he couldn’t find any means of support and was afraid of his father’s deteriorating health.To find a way to get out of this mess, he decided to expose the brain behind it.“It was all Yvette’s idea. She masterminded everything. Please Gerald, I’m very sorry.” Nathaniel looked remorseful, but the damage caused was too much to let go.Ivory had to constantly look over her shoulder because of the enemies she was exposed to.“Why are you blaming me? If I suggested it, did I tell you to go ahead with it?” Yvette was equally trying to find a way to get out of the mess.“So you agree that you suggested it,” Gerald glared at her. She realized she had made a mistake with her words.“Please Gerald, it won’t happen again.”Gerald
Chaos broke out as the guests began to murmur in confusion. Gerald’s expression darkened instantly, but no one else knew what was going on. Ivory didn’t have her hacking tools with her to stop whoever was trying to sabotage her so openly because it was a joyous event. The first name that came to mind was Dean Arlo, but he was being processed for court and wouldn’t dare. Gerald already got the best lawyers to handle his case. The robotic voice continued to speak as images were shown on the screen. “Two years ago, three company servers were destroyed by Ice Panther. Those companies are now closed down with their employees jobless.” The crowd was already feeling pity for the company shown on the screen, but Ivory was boiling with rage. She was trying to figure out who was behind it since it was not hard for her to defend herself. For that reason, she decided to wait a little, hoping to be able to detect the human behind the robot. “A year ago, Ice Panther hacked into a government s
Rosie felt terrible for the hairstylist. She had put in so much effort to put in the extensions and they looked good on Rosie.“I’m sorry, but you have to take everything off,” Rosie said politely, but her voice was stern. The hairstylist did not want to, feeling that if Cooper saw Rosie, he would reconsider.“That will take time. You will be late for your wedding.”“Let it be so, but Cooper’s happiness matters to me. After all, I’m doing all this for him, so what is the essence if he doesn’t like it?” Rosie stood her ground.She would rather be late and appear the way Cooper wanted than to appear on time with a look that would make him upset.Ivory smiled at Rosie’s resolve. She would have done the same for Gerald. It was just as Gerald wanted her to wear that wedding dress, and Ivory couldn’t refuse.“She’s right. You should make the necessary changes. We shall wait for her and everyone else,” Ivory added her voice.The hairstylist sighed frustratedly. “Alright. Please remove the we
Three weeks later, excitement brewed in the air as another joint wedding was announced among the Berets after so many years.A journalist was reporting the news on live TV. “I’m Lola, a reporter from Channel Z. Decades ago, the Parker-Berets and their best friends hosted a mass luxurious wedding.”“The trend is repeating itself as the twins, Cooper and Curtis Parker-Beret, are getting married to the sisters, Rosie and Rosalind. What makes it more interesting is that the last born of the Berets, Ivory, is also getting married to Gerald Scott, the hot CEO of Scotts Automobiles and Cambridge Incorporated.”“I am here to give you every information you need about this mega wedding so stay tuned,” the reporter ended.There was a lot of excitement going on. Curtis’s relationship with Rosalind was well known to the populace so the shocking ones were that of Cooper and Gerald.Most people knew that Gerald was engaged to Yvette, not knowing how he was getting married to Ivory.The news sparked
“Admit it. I won,” Ivory smiled and gave in to sleep. She still had no regrets at all. Gerald smiled and shook his head.His little Pumpkin was growing smarter and smarter by the day, she was even outsmarting him now.It wasn’t long before he fell asleep. The next day, Ivory woke up feeling sore. Her movement woke Gerald.“Pumpkin, are you alright?” He asked worriedly. Pain registered on Ivory’s face. How could something so sweet give her so much pain and ache in the morning?“I feel sore. Is this how you wanted our honeymoon to be? It’s as if I have a knife stuck in there,” Ivory exaggerated the pain.Gerald was worried and said, “Don’t move. I will be right back.” He went out and called his dad on the phone, speaking hastily,“Dad, I had my first time with Ivory and she’s complaining of pain. What should I do?” Gerald could manage two companies flawlessly but with Ivory, he was as helpless as a teenager.His father chuckled at the end of the line. “I see you finally became a man.”G
“Ivory’s cycle falls on our wedding day,” Gerald revealed. The twins understood the weight of the problem as Curtis eagerly suggested,“Dude, you should take your pound of flesh before then.”Gerald chuckled. “I’m still thinking about it but I can’t believe she’s your sister. You are giving me bad advice,” he accused Curtis. He laughed and retorted,“She’s a woman after all. So, what happens to the companies if we all get married on the same day?” He asked.Cooper already had that planned out and asked them, “Isn’t that the reason why we have parents who pioneered the business?”As Gerald and Curtis were nodding their heads in agreement, Cooper added, “That reminds me. We should let them handle our wedding planning too.”“Perfect suggestion,” the three men clicked their wine glasses.That night, Cooper had a serious talk with Rosie. “When you get better, would you like to work in the company? I can train you,” he suggested. Rosie recalled what Ivory told her about Cooper and work.She
Cooper frowned suspiciously, but before he could refuse, Gerald cut in, saying, “I even want to speak to you and Curtis, Cooper.”Cooper glanced at Rosie, and as she smiled, his heart warmed. He said to her, “Excuse me, Rosie, I will be right back.”Rosie chuckled and quickly replied, “Take your time, Cooper, Ivory and Rosalind are here.”Cooper did not like it when other people got his woman’s attention. He was the last to fall in love among the three, and his behavior showed that he was trying to catch up on all the years he lost.“You prefer them better than me?” He asked with a slight jealousy in his tone. Rosie was amazed, smiling and asking him,“Are you jealous?”Cooper pursed his lips but did not immediately respond. “I…I will see you soon,” he said and walked out with the two men.Rosalind was glad that Ivory created this opportunity for them to have a girls' talk. She quickly asked her sister,“Rosie, you look happier and better than I ever saw you. What have you been doing?
"Is it the doctors? It’s not yet time for my routine check," Rosie said, equally at a loss. As the plane lowered, Cooper detected the person in it."No. It’s Gerald. That’s his family jet."The two of them walked towards the jet to meet the person in it. It was just as Cooper said. Gerald was the first to alight, his arm intertwined with that of Ivory.Cooper frowned a little at the intrusion and said, "I didn’t know you were coming."Rosie and Ivory had already hugged each other. "Rosie, you look stunning. What is on this Island that makes you look so good? I want to join you," Ivory said half-jokingly. Rosie blushed and looked at Cooper.She knew that not only her health but appearance had also greatly improved."We decided to surprise you but we have something very important to discuss," Gerald was saying to Cooper when another couple alighted from the jet.Cooper wanted more time with his woman and was not pleased with the intrusion, especially when they had not informed him."I s