"Dad, what do we do?" Emily asked her father.The embarrassment of the day before had been weighing heavily on her mind."What else can we do? She is practically untouchable right now," Amelia stated.Emily raised her eyebrows, an angry look crossing her face as she responded, "Says who, Mom?" She is going to pay for this; I swear she will. How high can she rise again?""Enough, the both of you! We need to come up with a plan," her father snapped at them, his brow furrowed in thought."I really don't think we should go against Ava anymore; she is no longer the girl we used to know. What if she decided to come make us pay for what we did to her all those years ago?" Amelia asked in concern."She won't, because I won't let her," Emily stated firmly."Shut up! Nobody is making anyone pay; we need to find a way to get into her good books right now," Charles stated.Emily's hand clenched into a fist beside her at her father's words."Why do we need to do that?" Emily shot at her father."W
Nathan stood up and walked a few feet away from the table before turning back to face Elliot."I need to speak with your designer," Nathan stated.Elliot was silent for a few seconds, unsure what Nathan was trying to imply."Okay, would you care to explain? Because I'm aware you already have a designer for your project," Elliot responded."I can't really go into specifics right now," Nathan stated."Okay, who specifically do you want to speak with?" Elliot asked, adding, "Bella or some other fashion house designer, who I know you can meet on your own without coming to me.""I can't explain anything for sure right now; I need to speak with your major partner," Nathan stated."Okay, hold on, what exactly is going on? You don't sound like your usual self," Elliot said, his eyes squinting in concern before adding, "Does this have to do with your grandfather?"Nathan's head snapped to Elliot in surprise at his words."What? I should know there is only one person who has the capacity to mak
Daphne turned to look at Nathan, her brows raised as she asked, "What question?""Would you mind if we took it away from here? It's quite important." Nathan stated."If it's important, I guess it can wait a few more minutes," Daphne stated, turning to face Elliot.Nathan was not surprised by her response, putting into consideration the fact that she was currently really pissed at Elliot."Could you guys give us a minute? We will join you all shortly," Elliot stated, taking Daphne by the hand and walking out of the building.Elliot walked a few feet to the right of the building before turning into a corner. Only then did he let go of Daphne's hand."For god's sake, what the f*ck did you just pull in there?" Elliot asked, totally pissed."Nothing less than the reaction you are supposed to get when you don't consult me before making some certain decision." Daphne shot back at him.Her eyes were hardened, almost blazing with fire as she tried to stare Elliot down.Elliot brushed his left
The person walked over to her, holding her gaze as the footsteps echoed in her ears.Amber could see the lips move, the concerned look come into his eyes as he spoke. Then she felt his hand on her shoulder, jerking her back to reality."Are you alright?" Brad asked, his brows etched in concern."Oh, I…I'm sorry, I didn't, um, sorry," Amber stammered.Brad was worried; he didn't know if he had startled her or if she had been lost in thought."You don't really look so good," Brad stated, stepping away from her.Amber coughed, trying to regain her composure. She didn't want to show how flustered she was."Hmm, yeah, I'm not... oh, hmm, I actually meant I am fine; it's a surprise to see you here today," Amber said hurriedly, changing the subject.Brad decided to take her answer at face value, not wanting to push her further."Well, I just have some questions to ask. Is Mrs. Chucks around? or who can I speak with?" He replied with a warm smile."Oh, hummm, what do you want to ask about? Al
By the time Ava finished her meeting for the day, she was fast spent. Her first day had been filled with a lot of unexpected plans."When is Mr. Clark joining us?" Ava asked."He should be up in a few minutes," Oliver responded."Okay, today has been really draining." Ava muttered, resting her back on her seat."I guess you're one of the most popular CEOs now," Oliver teased Ava.They were sitting in her office, with the sun setting behind them, casting a warm glow over the room. Ava laughed, feeling grateful for Oliver's presence after such a long day."It's all thanks to you," Ava responded with a smile."Well, that's true, but all this is you. I just have this good feeling that you are going to make your mother proud," Oliver stated."Every time you talk about my mom, I can't help but get the feeling that you knew her personally," Ava responded.Oliver smiled, a long-distant look coming into his eyes as he stared off into space."Now, that look tells me there is more to what you are
Elliot looked at Daphne with suspicion as he asked, "What wish is that?""I will let you know when it's time, and no matter what it is, you have to grant it," Daphne stated."How does that even make sense? Trying to solve a present issue with a future favor is senseless, Daphne," Elliot pointed out to her."That is what I want, or else I'm going back on you bringing Ava on board this project," Daphne stated firmly, folding her hand on her chest.Elliot flipped a hand through his hair in frustration and decided to agree, hoping it did not cause an issue later on."Okay, fine, but bear in mind that this only stands if the wish is reasonable," Elliot agreed."Well, that settles it then," Daphne responded and walked past Elliot to the entrance of the building.Elliot sighed deeply and closed his eyes to gather his thoughts. He hoped he had not made a wrong decision in partnering with Daphne."So, what question do you have for me?" Daphne asked Nathan."If you don't mind coming with me?" N
Ava gestured for Mr. Clark and Kyla to have their seat as she sat on one of the couches too."I know it's late and everyone wants to get home, but we need to talk about this," Ava stated."Okay, go ahead; it's your first day, so I guess this is important," Mr. Clark responded as he crossed his leg and folded his arm."Well, we got an official proposal from The Sage fashion house to be their major partner on this new collection they are working on, and they are also hoping to bring me on board," Ava explained."Wow, that's a huge one," Kyla exclaimed, the words dropping out of her mouth before she could process her thought.Everyone looked at her with a smile on their face before she quickly said, "Oops, sorry.""No, it's fine; that would be everybody's thought from first hearing that," Oliver said, a warm smile on his face."So, what is the catch?" Mr. Clark asked, looking back at Ava."Catch? What do you mean?" Ava asked."I mean, he would have something he wants in return from us. T
Elliot's eyes remained on Daphne as he wondered if she was the one who had removed the design.Just then, Bella stated, "Let's have another submission from the both of you."At Bella's words, silent gasps of surprise erupted in the room as they all stared at Bella. Elliot's head turned sharply in Bella's direction too."What?" Emily exclaimed in shock as her eyes narrowed at Bella.Daphne, who stood at the entrance, was so pissed, her eyes narrowed as she looked from Bella to Elliot.Elliot didn't know what to make of Bella's words as he continued to stare at her in disbelief."What is she doing?" Elliot asked himself.Before he could move, Mick stepped closer and whispered, "Until we find who moved the design from the file, I think this might actually work."Elliot paused and thought about it for a while, his mind going over the possibilities. Finally, he nodded in agreement and stepped back to allow Bella to continue."Okay, I guess it might actually work," Elliot stated at last.Be
Ava took a step towards the door, but Bella held her back, shaking her head at Ava."No," Bella said.There was a bit of silence in the room before they heard Noah speak again."She does not know, nor does she know about the contract," Noah said."Wow, I can't seem to believe that she does not. Well, it's a good thing that she accepted your proposal; all we need to do now is speed up the wedding process." Beth said."Of course, that should be real easy." Noah said."After all the groundwork you have put in, it should be easy. I actually thought Philip was going to spoil things for us; it turned out he was only after his own pocket," Beth said."Yeah, there was no need to worry. As long as it did not affect what I had planned with Ava." Noah replied."It all feels like yesterday, though," Beth muttered."Yeah, it's a good thing my proposal to partner with Elegance and Style all those years ago was not successful. Now I get to own a part of it all, which is much better. My dream to ventu
Nathan was frozen, unable to move an inch as he stared at Noah on his knees before locking his gaze with Ava."Say yes," people chorused around them.Ava took a deep breath and then looked at Noah and said, "Yes."A round of applause and gleeful cheer rose from the group around them as Noah slipped the ring on Ava's finger."Thank you," Noah said as he stood up and hugged her."Congratulations," everyone said as they walked past them."Let's find our table," Ava said.They both walked into the main hall, leaving a frozen Nathan still standing there.As soon as Bella saw Ava, she jumped up and walked over to her and hugged her tightly."Didn't seem like you both were that serious yet," Bella whispered, a forced smile plastered on her face."Neither did I," Ava whispered back with a forced smile."I need to check something at the back; my store is showcasing some of our latest collection." Noah explained."Okay," Ava said.Noah kissed the back of her hand and excused himself. Ava watche
The room went silent as they all looked up to see who the man was pointing at."Oh my god!" Ava exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand as she stared at her.She could not believe her eyes. How could she do something so wicked, so heartless?"Mom?" Tyler called, looking confused, "Did you do it?"Clara had her head to the ground, unable to lift it up to face Timothy."Oh, God," Peter said, falling back against the couch as he held his chest.Nathan's hand clenched into a fist at his side as he looked at Clara through death-stricken eyes."Take him outside; there are a lot more persons that would need to follow him to the police station." Timothy instructed the security guys.Clara went to her knees and begged, "I didn't know what I was doing; I'm sorry.""So you killed my mother? Why? What did she do to you? And then you threatened me to leave town. What did I ever do to you?" Ava asked, choking back tears."No, your mother's accident was a natural cause; I had nothing to do with
Nathan's words fell like a bomb as jaws dropped in shock. Everyone in the room looked from him to Nora, waiting for her to refute his statement."Did he speak with you?" Nora slipped, the words coming out of her lips before she could think."Oh my god," Wyatt exclaimed.Everyone started to speak at the same time, the whole room going into an uproar as they all tried to speak over each other.Ava sat there, her face neutral as she took in what was happening."Quiet!" Tyler shouted, bringing the room to a sudden silence.Nora's eyes darted from Nathan's to Timothy's, who sat awestruck, staring at her."Where is Thomas?" Ava asked."None of your f*cking business!" Nora shouted at her.Nathan turned, noticing Ava for the first time since he walked into the house."Ava?" Nathan called softly."Surely you do not want him to hear all this, right?" Ava snapped, getting visibly angry at Nora's lack of consideration."I will go make sure he isn't anywhere near and get one of the housekeepers to
"Thank you for having me, doctor. So you're saying he can get the transfusion tomorrow?" Nathan asked."Yes, he can. We have taken quite a bit from you, and it's a good thing that it matches, and we can give it to him. However, this might be a temporary fix, but let's get over this hurdle first, and then we can talk about the next step." The doctor explained"Okay, thank you so much. Do I get the results?" Nathan asked."Of course, I believe you would want to have a read-through yourself." The doctor replied and added, "You can pick it up at the lab on your way.""Thank you, doctor. I'll be on my way. Tomorrow, I'll be here with Thomas," Nathan said."We will be expecting you." The doctor replied, standing up to shake his hands before Nathan left.Nathan walked over to the lab and requested his results from the nurse at the station."Good day, Mr. Crawford, give me a minute, please." The nurse said and walked towards a table.She picked up an envelope and discovered there was another
"They have taken the sample; we would get the results tomorrow," Nathan explained."That was fast," Clara muttered."I will stay with him; you guys can go home; it's been a long day already," Nathan said."Okay, call us if you need anything, okay?" Peter said."I will," Nathan responded."I am staying with my son too," Nora insisted.There was no reasoning with her, so Nathan allowed her.The night was long, but by the time it was morning, Thomas was feeling much better."The results are not out yet, but he can be discharged. We should be able to book an appointment for when he would come in for the transfusion in the next two days," the doctor said."Okay, that's good. Thank you, doctor." Nathan responded.By the time they got home, it was almost midday. Everyone was waiting for them in the living room."Hey there, champ, How are you feeling?" Tyler asked."I'm fine, Uncle Tyler," Thomas responded.Timothy walked down the stairs at the moment, smiled at Thomas, and said, "You feel bet
By the time they got to the garage, the sun was setting, and Nathan was already exhausted."Now it's good we all came here as Nora suggested. We haven't been seen in public together for a while." Peter said, a satisfied smile on his face."I agree," Wyatt seconded.Thomas held his mother's hand, who had refused to give him a smile or say as much as a word to him since losing the competition."Why do you look so sad, champ? You'll win the next one, okay? Tyler said, ruffling his hair.Nora pulled Thomas away from him and placed him behind her.Nathan picked him up and smiled at him, saying, "Do you want ice cream? Don't worry about the competition, okay? You'll get another chance."Thomas nodded, finally smiling at his father as he replied, "Okay."Nathan touched his forehead and looked over at Nora to ask, "Is Thomas on any medication? Why is he running a temperature?""Nothing is wrong with him. He is probably just pretending since he does not want to get scolded for losing the compe
"How did you find out?" Timothy asked."That has nothing to do with the answer you are supposed to give me," Ava responded as she folded the tissue and walked over to a wastebasket in the corner of the room.Timothy stood up and walked over to the window, a grim expression on his face.Ava stood silently behind him, waiting for him to speak, and at last he did."Your mother saved me from a car accident," Timothy stated.Ava was not so sure what he was talking about. She was vaguely aware of the accident but not her mother's involvement in it."Olivia was at the location of the accident that day. Ruth, Nathan's mother, and I were on our way to the factory that fateful day when it happened." Timothy narrated."The same accident Nathan's mother died in?" Ava asked."Yes, your mother pulled me out of the car, but it was too late for Ruth; she died as the car blew up." Timothy said, his voice cracking up, so he paused for a second."Is this why you built a whole textile factory with my mom
Nathan turned back to face Nora and asked, "What are you talking about?""I... I mean, did he…" Nora replied, trailing off as she took in the confused look on his face."Did who?" Nathan asked again, before adding, "I really don't get a word of what you are saying.""Oh, I mean, did you have a discussion with Tyler because you sound like him blaming me for whatnot?" Nora quickly said to cover up her slip."What in God's name did Tyler do this time around?" Tyler asked, coming up behind Nathan."What don't you do?" Nora asked, not really in the mood to get on his bad side since she still needed his help."This is not the time for this. Where is Grandpa?" Nathan asked the both of them."Where else? He has gone home, something you would know if he had told you, but oops," Tyler muttered, covering his mouth as he added, "You both aren't exactly on good terms right now, right?"Nathan's face hardened, but he forced himself to relax, keeping in mind they were at a public event."Tyler, you'