“Cooper has a twin brother. His name is Curtis,” Iris blurted out in a hoarse tone as a tear slid down her cheeks. Garvin chuckled, wondering what Iris was up to this time. Was it another way to scare him away? “Iris, whatever joke you weaved with that so-called boyfriend of yours, it's not funny to me.” Iris tensed even more that he did not directly believe her. She bit her lower lip so hard; it was painful. It was better now than never when the cat was already out of the bag. “I had twins, and I wanted to keep them both, but after a week, I was constantly tormented by those gray eyes. I thought, Why should I suffer alone? Perhaps you should have a taste of how being hurt felt, so I sent you the elder of the two, Cooper.” Iris’s throat was now moist with tears, so they were cracking rather than croaky. She looked at Garvin, and her heart sank because he did not seem to be paying attention to her. He was looking at something on his phone. She got upset and was about to excuse he
Two days earlier “I had twins, and I wanted to keep them both, but after a week, I was constantly tormented by those gray eyes. I thought, why should I suffer alone? Perhaps you should have a taste of how being hurt felt, so I sent you the elder of the two, Cooper.” Garvin was trying not to believe that what Iris was saying was true, so he decided to check the investigation report, reading from where he had left off the last time on his phone. ‘She has a son, Curtis Parker. There is a record at the hospital where she gave birth that she had twins, but Iris has only been seen with one child, so perhaps something must have happened to her other child. In her spare time….’ Garvin stopped reading instantly, understanding that she was not lying to him but was too numb to react. He felt stiff as he wondered what his other child would think of him, most probably that he was an irresponsible father. Garvin was eager to see his other son but was greatly angered to have been kept out of his
“Will you tell them or I should?” Iris had no idea what Garvin expected her to tell them. She took his warning to keep men away from herself like a joke. Right now, she was desperate to see Cooper, thereby not wanting any misunderstanding whatsoever between them. Whatever made Garvin happy, she did not care for as long as she could see Cooper and for him to make time for Curtis as well. “Go ahead and tell them,” Iris said and began to walk away when Garvin grabbed her arm and pulled her into his arms, her eyes widened and her breath ceased. His movement was instantaneous and unexpected, she was caged in his strong arms. Since she was shorter, he bent over and said in a whisper, his hot minty breath turning her ears red, “How else would they believe me if you leave?” He circled his arm around her waist, pulling her closer, she squirmed under his touch making her face crimson from his closeness. The three men looked like wolves, ready to pounce when Garvin glared at them and said,
“Fever? What did the doctor say?” Iris squatted before Cooper worriedly, pressing her fingers over his forehead, met with a slight warmth. “Was he given any medication already?” She asked Luna, realizing that Cooper’s temperature was not alarming. “Just Tylenol, his pediatrician advised that he spends time with both parents. All his lab results are negative.” Iris was relieved that it was not serious. Garvin squatted beside Iris and asked Cooper, “Champ, what is the problem?” He discerned that his son was disturbed about something and Cooper let it all out, “Dad, why does mommy always have to leave and when would I see Curtis? If he looks like us, I’ll share all my toys with him.” Garvin, ran his fingers through his hair, not surprised to be back to the same conversation. It was normal with kids. Until they got what they wanted, they would never stop asking. Iris was brought to tears by Cooper’s confession and forced herself to blink them back. She was realizing how much her decis
Garvin pulled out a picture from his bedside drawer and gave it to her. Iris panicked, feeling unease in her heart. “Who is she?” “Who do you think she is?” Garvin asked her, surprised by her reaction and how her face drained of color. Iris was about to ask if she was his sister, looking at how young the woman in the picture was, but the blonde hair gave her doubts when Garvin added, “Mind you, that picture was taken seventeen years ago. She was just sixteen and I was eighteen.” Iris swallowed a lump in her throat, as her unease increased. “Your girlfriend.” Garvin did not accept nor refuse but went on to say, “Our relationship was not defined but that was the plan I had for her. I never proposed to her but intended to make her my wife at the right time. Her name is Evangeline Myles.” Iris bit her lower lip, as she felt a sense of loss at the fact that another woman was going to be in their lives but then again, he said he was going to explain the meaning of those words to he
“You should have searched for her.” Iris was looking at the picture again. The girl was so beautiful and all smiles, she felt that Garvin had not done enough but was in for another shock. “I did. Usually, she would call to inform me when she got home but when that call never came, I called, I texted, but no response. I took the bus to her parents’ house but on the way, I realized there had been a fatal accident.” Garvin was trying very hard to hold it in, as he tried to not shed another tear since he already shed enough in the past. “The bus was burnt beyond recognition. I heard there were few survivors at the hospital. They jumped out before the bus exploded but Evangeline was not among the survivors, and I felt responsible for it.” Garvin facepalmed, not knowing it was going to be so difficult to let it out when he thought he had gotten over the pain. He never told anyone the full details of the story, not even his two best friends. “Maybe she would have lived if she had not c
“Let’s start over. No matter how you hide it, I know that you feel it too. Whatever it is, I know that we can both make it work. I messed up but I am happy that you were not completely heartless. You sent Cooper to me and that was the beginning of my finding happiness again.” Iris was about to speak but was choked on her tears. She was prepared to defend herself, to fight back but not to meet a penitent man. He broke her defenses, just as he broke her with those words she read a different meaning into. As her words failed her, she found solace in caressing his curly hair since his head was still on her thighs, with his warm tears wetting the hem of her dress but it was okay. It was all worth it.Regret filled her heart at how far she went to just get revenge. First times were always mistakes. If she had given him a second chance by then, she would have known if he indeed meant those words. Now Curtis has been missing a father for ages, all thanks to her genius revenge plan. Garvin w
Garvin was just about to sleep after reading Cooper some bedtime stories. He left the little man’s room when he fell asleep after his body touched his bed. His eyes were heavy when he opened them to the first ringing sound of his phone. Thinking that something was wrong, he panicked when he realized the ringtone was the one he assigned to Iris’s name since she never called him at this time before. She would usually send a text. He quickly answered on the second ring and tapped the speaker button since he was still groggy. “Garvin, Curtis wants to speak to you and Cooper.” Sleep escaped from Garvin’s eyes, leaving him with expectation, as he ran his fingers through his curly hair. He did not want to speak to his son whom he had not seen before on the phone. A face-to-face would be much preferred to be able to see the emotions on his face. That was how Garvin planned it but if things didn't go as planned, then he would have to go with the flow. There was no way he could deny his so
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