An Hour AgoTyler cast a glance at the housekeeper once more, his brow arched in curiosity before he descended the stairs."No, tell them I’m coming to the gate," he instructed as he made his way toward the door."Alright, sir," the housekeeper responded.Stepping out of the house, Tyler took the ten-minute walk to the gate.As he approached, he called out, "Who is it that came to see—" Tyler began, only to be interrupted by a familiar voice."Hello, Tyler," Jessica muttered, her face partially visible through the car window.Tyler froze for a second, turning from the security guard toward the car. His eyes narrowed in suspicion."What are you doing here, Jessica?" he asked."I came to see you. What else?" She replied casually, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips.Tyler stared at her as though she had sprouted horns. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration as he asked, "Why would you come here? You could’ve just called."Jessica tilted her head and smiled coyly, sayin
“Should we go by the store first?” Bella asked Ava over breakfast.“Hmmm, I’m not sure these ones would have the patience for that,” Ava muttered, glancing at the kids, who were already bouncing with excitement, dressed and ready for their first outdoor trip in New York.Bella followed her gaze and nodded, saying, “Nah, I agree. They won’t have the patience that’s required.”“Why exactly do I have to be your driver today?” Brad asked, sounding only half-annoyed as they headed out the door a few minutes later.“Because you’re a good cousin, and you love me,” Bella said with a playful smile, slipping her arm around his shoulder.Brad rolled his eyes, replying, “I feel like you’re using me.”Ava chuckled from behind them as she lifted the kids into the car.“Where are we going, Mom?” Jordan asked eagerly as Brad started the engine.“I told you, it’s a secret,” Angel answered, her voice teasing.“Why won’t you tell me?” Jordan pressed, folding his arms.“I know where we’re going, but I wo
Ava couldn’t take her eyes off the boy riding cheerfully on the carousel. He looked so much like Jordan that it hurt."Yes, he is," Nathan confirmed quietly in response to Bella’s earlier statement, though his gaze had already shifted from Ava.Bella glanced at him, her tone light as she replied, "Oh, he looks like you, Mr. Crawford."Nathan raised his brow at her words. He didn’t quite understand Bella’s point, but he let it slide."Yes, he does. And please, call me Nathan." He replied."Okay, sure," Bella replied.He looked around, trying to make small talk as he said, “You must have brought your kids to the park too.”“Oh, um, they’re around,” Bella replied, her eyes widening as she suddenly remembered that Brad was supposed to bring the kids over.Bella, sensing the awkwardness between them, shifted on her feet. The fact that Ava was still silent didn't help the situation.Nathan on the other hand didn't want to cause a scene in front of Bella, given that Bella worked with Elliot,
"Jordan! Stop right now!" Ava shouted, her voice strained with panic as she slipped between people.Her heart raced as she pushed through the bustling park, narrowly avoiding colliding with someone."Hey, watch out!" the person yelled, but Ava didn’t have time to apologize, her focus solely on catching her son."Jordan!" Bella’s voice joined hers from behind, her breathless shout carrying over the noise of the park.She was trying to keep up, struggling to hold onto both Jenna and Angel, their little hands gripping hers tightly as they jogged along.Brad’s brows furrowed in confusion as he followed behind, asking, "What exactly is going on?""You could actually just run after the boy instead of asking me that," Bella muttered, her eyes wide with impatience, clearly annoyed by his slow response.Brad raised his brow, unbothered by her irritation, as he asked, "How do you think he would react to two adults chasing him?"Bella rolled her eyes and replied, "Okay, fine. Here, take Angel."
"Nicolas Petterson! Nick! Oh my god, is that really you?" As he stepped forward, Brad exclaimed, eyes wide with surprise and excitement.A broad grin spread across Nick’s face as he nodded. "Yes, it’s me! Wow, it’s been what, ten years?"Ava and Bella exchanged glances, their eyebrows raised in amusement as they watched the two men.Bella, clearing her throat with a playful cough, said, "Okay, are you going to tell us what’s going on here?"Brad stepped back from Nick, still beaming as he gestured toward his old friend. "Oh, right. Nick and I went to college together," Brad explained.Bella smiled and shook her head lightly. "Oh, I see."Nick, realizing he hadn’t properly introduced himself, extended his hand to Bella and said, "Hi, nice to meet you."Bella took his hand with a warm smile and replied, "Same here. I'm Isabella Brown, Brad's cousin, and this is my friend Ava."Nick nodded, turning to Ava with a polite smile, extending his hand to her as well, and said, "Nice to meet you
Brad chuckled and said, "Well, you could call him the king of research.""Oh, so you guys are colleagues?" Ava muttered, glancing curiously between Brad and Nick."More like we’re in the same field of work," Brad replied with a casual shrug."Looks like he's taken," Bella said with raised brow"Yes he is, if not what are you going to do about it," Brad asked narrowing his eyes at her.Ava laughed, shaking her head at the two who always seems to be at each others throat.Angel tugged at her father's hand before the conversation could continue; her face lit up with excitement."I want to ride the carousel!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with anticipation."Okay, sweetheart, let’s get you on one of the horses." He said, before turning to Bella and Ava with a grin as they all made their way toward the carousel."I guess they can ride in peace now," Bella whispered to Ava, her tone light."Yeah, I think," Ava replied softly, a hint of relief in her voice."You know, for a minute back there,
Emily looked at her mom and smiled as she said, "Don't worry about that mom.""Don't worry about what? If something is going on, I should know about it, since we are all in this together," Amelia replied."Hey, Paige," Emily called."Yes, Ms. Emily." Paige said as she walked over."Paige, ensure those upstairs leave through the back," Emily announced to the shop attendant."Alright, I will," Paige replied."Okay everyone, get back to work," Emily announced."Let's go home, Amelia, and we will talk all about it there," Charles replied."What about the lady waiting in the..." Amelia tried to ask, but Emily cut her off."Mom, we'll talk about it at home," Emily interrupted."Okay, I'll keep quiet since that seems to be what you want me to do," Amelia replied.They walked out of the store into the busy street, a very pleased smile on Emily's face.The street was very popular in the fashion world. It was called Fashion Height for a reason. It was filled with top fashion stores where you co
Ava's brow squeezed in confusion as she looked up."Noah?" she called, looking up at his familiar face in surprise."Yes, it's me," Noah Bright replied with a wide grin on his face."What are you doing here?" Ava asked in surprise as she looked around them.Last time she checked, she was still at fashion height and not in a hospital."I should ask you the same question; I mean, you're standing directly in front of my store," Noah replied, pointing at the building.It was glass-walled from top to bottom, and you could see all that was displayed in the store clearly."You own this?" Ava asked in shock, her mouth forming an oh sign as she remembered the conversation from the party."Yes, I do. So imagine my surprise when I see you standing out here looking lost," Noah asked with a grin."Oh, I…" Ava stuttered, wondering how lost she must have looked.She was grateful it was him though; after he saved Jordan on the plane, he had gotten a soft spot in her."Do you want to come in? Rest your
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
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
"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's eyes narrowed, his hand clenching into a fist, as his jaw tightened.His voice was cold and sharp as he responded, "I have no idea what Tyler is talking about.""I don't think we should do this here," Peter interjected, looking between Timothy and Nathan."I agree," Mike stated, a nervous look coming to his face."Shut the f*ck up; you don't have a say here," Tyler responded to Mike."It's not going to be much of a problem if Tyler just tells us what he knows," Wyat said with a satisfied grin."I don't want that," Peter snapped, shutting Wyatt up."We will have this conversation at the office tomorrow then," Timothy stated, signaling for someone in the crowd."That would be better; we can't have everyone staring at us for having a family spat right now," Peter added."Okay, if that would be all, I guess we are done here, right?" Nathan stated, looking at everyone before adding, "Good night."He walked away from the group and headed to the entrance. Mike followed him closely,
"Hello ma'am, nice to meet you," The staff greeted Ava.Their faces were filled with pleasure at meeting their new CEO. Oliver and Mr. Clark were walking her through the various departments in the building."Thank you all for the good work over the years. I hope to have a splendid time working here with you all," Ava responded with a smile.As they left the office, Ava looked at Oliver and asked, "How many offices do we have to go to?""Not much; I think it's just the human resource department and IT department," Oliver replied."Okay," Ava muttered as they entered an elevator at the end of the hall."After the introductions, we would be heading to your office on the last floor," Mr. Clark interjected."Okay, and what is the last floor?" Ava asked curiously.Mr. Clark only grinned at her and kept mute as Oliver tried not to laugh beside them."What?" Ava asked, but they didn't give her a response.After a few seconds, Oliver stated, "I guess we'll find out soon enough.""Oh, and that
"Really? Who is it?" Someone asked from the group.All eyes were glued to Mick, expecting his answer, wishing it was their own design that won."The winner for the design submission is," Mick replied."I have something to say before that," Daphne stated coldly.Her voice cut through the excitement like a sword as she stood up to face the crowd.Mick turned to look at her, noticing her expression for the first time."Hmm, of course," Mick muttered, stepping aside for her."So, the winner announcement would be put on hold for now," Daphne stated.There were silent murmurs as everyone looked confused, glancing from her to Mick."Okay, hold on, why? Mick just mentioned that he has the winner's name with him." Bella stated.Daphne turned towards her, her gaze freezing as she turned her icy stare at her."I see no reason why I should give you a response here; if Elliot is not around, I'm as good as being in charge." Daphne muttered.A surprised gasp rose up from the crowd as they all stood
"Don't you think we need to go see them at the school?" Bella asked as she packed her bag."Stop running!" Ava shouted to Jenna, who was running after Angel up the stairs."Come on, buddy, the competition is going to happen eventually. Okay, I'm sure they probably have a reason for shifting it forward," Brad said, patting Jordan on the back."I don't think there is any point in going; Nora was probably just messing with me when she called," Ava replied with a shrug."Why would she do that?" Bella asked."If I know her, which I kind of do, she is just trying to rub it in my face," Ava muttered."Well, I guess the joke is on her now, Ms. CEO," Brad teased.Ava smiled, moving over to Jordan as Brad stood up to head out the door."I'll see you guys later," Brad called over his shoulder."Bye, Dad!" Angel shouted from the stairs where she was now sitting with Jenna."Bye, darling," Brad replied, blowing her a kiss before stepping out the door."Hey sweetheart, don't worry; the competition
Monday morning came faster than anticipated after the long weekend with its shock and unexpected turn of events.The Crawford Group head office was abuzz with activity as guests moved through the lobby. The event was taking place at one of the halls located in the building."Looks like it's going to be a big one." A staff member whispered to another as they directed guests through the lobby.There were reporters stationed outside, and a live broadcast of the event was being streamed."Well done, Tyler, that was a good one," Peter stated with a warm smile as Tyler walked up to him.The event had come to an end with a final speech from Tyler. Now the ball was in the court of the guest to actually invest in the project."Thank you, Dad," Tyler said, grabbing a wine glass from a passing waiter.Timothy Crawford was seated in one corner of the hall, silently observing and exchanging pleasantries with guests."Tyler, that was a good one. I guess you took the bull by the horns," Mr. Lee stat
For a few seconds, Nora struggled to find the words with which to respond to Tyler."Didn't mean to get you all scared, you know, just saying how bad it's going to look if Nathan finds out what happened in LA," Tyler muttered."You wouldn't dare!" Nora replied, her voice low and hardened as her eyes darted around the room, a flicker of tension betraying her tough behavior."Oh, you should worry about yourself; I just might tell him when you least expect it. That's why they say karma's a b*tch," Tyler responded, folding his hand on his chest."Then I bet you, you're going to lose all you ever hold dear; hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, Tyler. Thomas is going to get acknowledged as Nathan's heir, and then you're going to be worthless like you are meant to be," Nora spat at him in disdain.The smile on Tyler's face faded away as he took three steps closer to Nora, pushing back against a couch.Tyler leaned close, his lips to her ear as he whispered, "Oh, I would like to see you tr