“Gerald, I need to take Ivory away for a while,” Galia said to Gerald, who was holding Ivory by the wrist as if he feared she might disappear anytime soon. They had arrived at one of the Parker’s Grand Hotels and before gaining entry, Galia had come to meet them.“Pumpkin, are you sure you won’t leave again?” Gerald asked seriously, surprising Ivory when he kissed the back of her right hand which he was firmly holding. It was a first, making her heart thump in her chest, as she felt that Gerald might be attracted to her in a romantic way but then, she recalled that he already moved on. Taking a deep breath, she replied, “No. I think I’m ready for anything that would come my way.”Gerald, satisfied with her response, released her hand which he was still holding. Galia hugged Ivory and said, “Let’s get you changed.” Ivory smiled, knowing that Ganya didn’t keep her part of the bargain. It seemed she had announced her arrival before the time Ivory wanted but it was a happy day for her
I want to apologize for my recent absence and silence. My extended family has experienced a tragedy, and I have been spending a lot of time at the hospital with them, which has left me feeling exhausted. As the eldest, I have taken on a lot of responsibility, especially for my mother, who sustained the worst injuries. She will need to undergo at least four major surgeries before she can start to recover, and I have no idea how long this process will take, as each surgery is dependent on the success of the previous one. I had been working on some chapters before this incident occurred, but I am unsure when I will be able to release them, as I have been struggling to focus on anything other than the seriousness of the situation. I apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding and well wishes. As soon as things start to improve, I will begin updating regularly again. Thank you once again.
Among the crowd, Nathaniel never expected to have an easy chance to speak with Ivory.However, the thought of his father's potential heart attack upon discovering that the server was destroyed by a virus filled him with adrenaline."Ivory, I’m Nathaniel Chucks. Can I have a dance?" Nathaniel asked Ivory, smiling. He was taken aback when Ivory responded, "Sure, we can dance."Her eager response and smile made him lose respect for her, feeling that she was cheap, unlike Yvette, who had given him a tough time. Even before they dated, it was hard to win Yvette over, and shortly after they started dating, she broke up with him. His negative judgment of Ivory increased when he saw Gerald tell Ivory,"Ivory, you can’t dance with him."Nathaniel feared that Gerald’s instruction would cause Ivory to resist, but she replied, "It’s alright, Gerald, your fiancé is there. Dance with her."Nathaniel felt on top of the world that Ivory made it easy for him. She looked elegant but seemed easy to ha
"Arrrrhhhhh you motherfutter," Nathaniel snarled, as his gum bled and two of his teeth fell out. He meant to say motherfucker, but his lost teeth did not allow him to say so.Gerald had learned this from his father when he was eighteen but never made use of it. Back then, it was his birthday and his father told him he could get a girlfriend.Gerald was not interested in having a girlfriend but was eager to know about how much his father knew about relationships with the opposite sex aside from his mother.He asked, "what if I meet a girl I like but she's already in love with somebody else?" His father replied, "punch her man on the jaw and make sure he loses some teeth. It would buy you time to woo her while he focuses on fixing his teeth."Gerald laughed, never thinking that he would ever make use of his father’s advice, but it came in handy tonight.At this point, chaos broke out and everyone stood watching Gerald and Nathaniel. The latter was a bleeding mess, feeling his fallen te
It was not hard for him to see that Ivory was keeping from sharing a lot of things about herself to anyone because of Gerald.Gerald explained sincerely, “I want to do the right thing, but she won’t even give me the chance to speak with her.” Cooper was happy that it wasn’t entirely his fault that Ivory didn’t know the truth and encouraged him, “Keep trying and don’t forget that I’ve never been in any relationship before.”Gerald smiled bitterly and responded, “You speak as if I’ve been in one myself before.”Cooper decided to tease him a little and reminded him, “You are also the one engaged, not me.”Gerald wore a bitter expression as he exclaimed, “I wonder if you are even on my side.”***Ivory, this is my husband, Ezra," Galia said excitedly, kissing her husband on the cheek. She was known to display a lot of PDA, so no one was surprised except Ivory, who had always been away.Ivory shook hands with Ezra. "Nice meeting you," she said, when Ganya interrupted, "And this is Zen,
“You even call her pumpkin. Is she some kind of teenager?” Ryker’s other friend mocked, but quickly backed off when he saw the anger in Gerald’s eyes.Gerald was about to throw a punch when Cooper grabbed his arm. “Enough, Gerald, you can’t go around fighting everyone. Remember who you are.”Gerald clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, then turned around and left. As the CEO of Scott Automobiles and Cambridge Incorporated, he couldn't stoop to their level.Gerald silently thanked Cooper for intervening. It would have been disastrous for his reputation if the media got wind of a fight.“You’re lucky. I don’t think you would have survived that punch,” Ryker said to his friend.The friend sighed with relief, fanning himself as if he had just had a narrow escape.“Cooper saved me. I need to thank him for getting Rambo away. That guy is tough. Why can’t he leave Ivory alone?” He asked, causing the others to laugh at how he referred to Gerald as Rambo.Meanwhile, a man among the guests
“Ma’am, there is a man here to see you,” Mary Ann said. Gerald asked, “Which man?”Only his and Ivory’s family knew that Ivory worked with him, so he couldn’t understand the reason why somebody would come to look for Ivory. A man, for that matter. Yeah, Yvette knew that Ivory was working with Scotts Automobile too, so was she the one behind it?“His name is Dean Arlo,” Mary Ann said over the intercom. Gerald’s frown deepened. The name did not even sound familiar.Gerald stared at Ivory, his hand clutching the intercom. “Do you know anyone called Dean Arlo?”“Nope,” Ivory responded. The corner of Gerald’s lips twitched as he replied,“She doesn’t want to see him.”Ivory’s mouth parted instantly, realizing that the man Gerald had asked her about was there because of her.“I don’t know him doesn’t mean that I don’t want to see him,” she said seriously, but Gerald smiled at her and replied, “Just focus on work. I will take care of him.”Gerald stepped out before Ivory could utter anoth
“Are you alright? I got you coffee,” Gerald said as Ivory stepped out of the washroom. She smiled and took the coffee from him, sipping it gratefully. “Thank you,” she said. Gerald looked at her with longing. “You were tossing a lot in bed last night. Don’t you sleep well?” he asked. Ivory lowered her gaze and set the coffee down on the side table. Her sleep had never been peaceful since she left, and it was the same when she returned because he still wasn’t her Gerry. Though she had hope, she couldn't dwell on it because she didn’t know how Yvette would take advantage of the last clause. “I was sleeping. I don’t know what was happening when my eyes were closed, so were you spying on me?” she asked suspiciously. Gerald was slightly uneasy. He couldn’t confess that he had slept on the couch but had been watching her most of the time. “No. I wanted us to talk but you slept so early,” he said with a forced smile. Ivory pursed her lips and raked her mind, trying to find a good excu
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