By the time Mike walked into the office at the close of business, Nathan was still sitting at his desk, going through the files."Nathan? Aren't you going home?" Mike asked.Nathan looked up with his brows drawn together as he asked, "What time is it?""It's seven p.m. already," Mike replied."Oh, I lost track of time," Nathan said, pushing his seat back from the table."I thought so, too. Lucas is waiting downstairs with the car," Mike stated.Nathan looked out the window and saw the sun had set. Darkness was beginning to creep out."Thank you, Mike," Nathan said, forcing himself up."You're welcome. You can go down, and I'll clear up the table for you," Mike offered."Okay, thanks," Nathan responded as he reached for his suit, which was hung on the hanger beside him.Mike reached for the first folder, then paused to ask, "Nathan? You forgot your phone."Nathan stopped in his tracks and replied, "Oh, hmm.""Are you alright?" Mike asked."Yes, I'm fine," Nathan responded.Mike thought
Brad looked up to see Noah run through the door, a panicked look on his face."What's wrong?" Noah asked, then turned to look at Ava and added, "What's wrong with her?""I'm sorry, but who are..." Brad started to ask"I don't know; I think you should check her," Bella said, interrupting Brad as she looked up at Noah.Noah looked up at Brad and said, "I'm Noah Bright; I'm a doctor. I just happened to be at the door when I heard Bella shout Ava's name."As he said that, he walked over to Ava, kneeling in front of her as he took her hands in his."Ava? Can you hear me? If you can just grip my hands," Noah said softly.Brad looked at Bella with raised brows in question about who Noah was."He is a friend," Bella whispered, her attention still on Ava.All Ava could see was the hospital lights as she murmured, "My baby.""What is she saying?" Bella asked."I can't make out her words," Noah replied, moving closer to her.Suddenly, Ava looked up as Brad's hair grazed her neck. Her brows drew
“Parish… yes, that was her name, wasn’t it?” Rose murmured to herself, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully.Ava’s heart skipped a beat, her pulse quickening as an unsettling feeling settled over her. Rose had just mentioned her surname, but surely that could just be a coincidence. She glanced at Noah, and there was a softness in his eyes, so she stepped away from him.“Are you okay?” Noah asked softly.“I’m so sorry,” the nurse who bumped into Ava shouted before hurrying along.“You look just like her, you know,” Rose added.“Ahh... Rose, I think you should get back to work; don’t want to keep you while work piles up,” Noah said with a smile and placed a hand on her shoulder. He turned her in the other direction and added, “See you around.”“See you around too, Dr. Noah,” Rose said, then looked toward Ava and waved. “Bye.”Ava smiled nervously and waved back. “Bye.”“Come, sorry about that,” Noah said to Ava as he led her to his office.“Thank you,” Ava murmured and followed him. They got
“What’s wrong?” Mike asked, his lips moving but his voice barely audible.“Grandpa? What are you talking about?” Nathan demanded, his voice tense. He paused, listening closely to whatever his grandfather was saying on the other end, his eyes narrowing.“We should talk about this in person, Grandpa. I’ll be home shortly,” he said, trying to keep his tone steady.After another tense minute, he finally ended the call, the weight of the conversation heavy on his face.“Damn it!” Nathan shouted, frustration echoing through the hallway.A few people in the building turned to glance awkwardly at Nathan’s outburst, their curious eyes just adding to his irritation.“Everything alright?” Mike asked again, his concern more evident this time.Nathan’s jaw tightened, his reply dripping with scepticism, “Do I look or sound like everything’s okay?”Mike, knowing Nathan wasn’t looking for an answer, stayed silent.Instead, he asked, “What do you want me to do?”Nathan brushed a hand through his hair,
The house was quiet, and Nathan had a feeling his grandfather must have retired to his room already. Despite the thought, he knocked softly on the door.“Grandpa?” he called, his voice barely above a whisper.“You’re late. I was right, after all; you’re too relaxed because you don’t take this seriously,” said a voice behind him.Nathan turned to see Tyler approaching, his usual smirk on his face as he approached with a mischievous look in his eyes.“What did you tell him, Tyler?” Nathan demanded, his voice low, fists clenched at his sides.Tyler shrugged unbothered as he replied, “Just the truth.”“What truth?” Nathan spat, his anger rising as he took a step towards him adding, “We both know all you ever do is lie.”Tyler chuckled, a satisfied grin on his face as he responded, “Lower your voice, brother. You don’t want your son to hear you getting worked up over nothing, do you?”Nathan turned away from him, opening the door to his grandfather’s study, and confirmed his suspicion of i
Timothy was silent for a moment, staring into space.“Your what, Grandpa?” Nathan asked, his shoulders slumping.He knew this was all a plan from Tyler, but he couldn’t help feeling angered that his grandfather would so easily believe him.“I reserve the right to give the corporation to whomever I choose, and that includes both you and Tyler. He has an equal right to the corporation too,” Timothy stated.“What?” Nathan stated, before adding, “We both know that’s not true.”“I will give this corporation to whoever I deem fit. From now on, Tyler is going to be a priority, especially since you seem determined to make him look bad. I won’t tolerate any games from you just so you can take it all for yourself,” Timothy continued, not bothered by Nathan’s outburst.Nathan’s face hardened, his fists clenching at his sides as he stared at his grandfather.“So you’re not even interested in finding out if what he told you was true,” Nathan muttered.“No. All I want is for you both to work things
A few minutes later, Nathan headed out of the house and climbed into his car that was already waiting for him.“Good morning Mr. Crawford,” Lucas said with a warm smile."Good morning, you have a warehouse tour with the Klass Technology team today. Shall we head there first?" Mike asked as Nathan slid into the car."I thought the head of operations was handling that," Nathan replied."Yes, but you also mentioned you'd let me know if you decided to go," Mike said, gently reminding him.Nathan glanced at his watch. "What else is scheduled this morning?""Ella requested a meeting with you at your usual place," Mike answered."And after that?""Just some paperwork at the office," Mike said.The mention of paperwork brought back memories of his grandfather's recent conversation—one he’d rather keep at the back of his mind."Alright, let’s head to the factory. I can spare a few minutes before the meeting with Ella," Nathan decided.Mike nodded, signalling Lucas to drive to the factory.The
"Mr. Crawford?" Emilio called out as soon as he spotted Nathan.Nathan looked up and offered a smile, though his mind was still on Mr. Bills’ last statement."We can discuss it later," Mr. Bills murmured quietly before adding, "You’ve got clients to attend to."Nathan nodded, then approached the group, a warm smile on his face."Mr. Emilio," he greeted warmly, extending his hand."Mr. Crawford, I didn’t realize you were here," Emilio replied, shaking his hand."Yes, I didn't want to interrupt. I trust you found everything satisfactory?" Nathan asked."I must say, we're very impressed. Everything’s organized meticulously. It reassures us that you’re fully capable of meeting our customers’ demands," Emilio replied."I'm glad to hear it." Nathan then gestured to Mr. Bills beside him, as he added, "Allow me to introduce Mr. Bills, the factory manager.""A pleasure to meet you, and thank you for hosting us," Emilio said with a warm smile."You’re very welcome. I’m pleased our work meets yo
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 vent
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 be
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'