"Who is expecting a visitor at this hour of the night?" Clara asked, her face contoured with anger.A housekeeper walked to the door and pulled it open."Hello, good evening, sir," they heard the housekeeper say.They all heard the footstep walk through the door, and when they finally saw who it was, they were surprised."Mr. Kim? What are you doing here?" Peter asked."I'm here for Mr. Crawford," Kim replied, holding his briefcase tightly."What do you have to discuss so late? Didn't you see him at the office already?" Clara asked in suspicion.Not interested in whatever it was Kim had to say, Nathan walked up the stairs, leaving them alone."He summoned me himself," Kim replied."Do you have another news you want to break to us?" Tyler asked."I'm afraid if there's any news at all, Mr. Crawford would let you know," Kim replied, his voice clipped."As always," Tyler muttered, shaking his head at the unwavering devotion of Kim to his grandfather."Come with me, and I'll show you his s
The day broke bright and beautiful, with the sun sipping into the window. The smell of the trees surrounding the estate brought in a sense of peace.Nathan opened his eyes, sighing deeply as he took in the peace and quiet, almost like the peace before the storm."And so it starts," Nathan murmured as his phone vibrated on the table.Stretching out his hand to pick up his phone, he realized he was alone in bed. His brows squeezed in confusion as he wondered where Nora had gone."Hello," Nathan muttered as he picked up the call, still looking around the room."Hello Nathan, good morning. Sorry to call you so early, but you need to be at the office in an hour," Mike said, a sense of urgency in his voice."What's wrong?" Nathan asked, all his senses at a sudden alert."Ella Howard is scheduled to drop by the office; I have no idea why, but it seems urgent," Mike explained."Is my grandfather aware?" Nathan asked, getting up from the bed."I don't think so; I got a call from her personal a
"Don't run," Ava called out as she closed the car door."Okay," Jenna replied, jumping up and down with excitement."Come, hold onto my hands," Ava called to Jordan, adding, "Angel, hold on to Jenna."Holding their hands, she led them from the parking lot to the school building entrance. The school was filled with a lot of kids and parents who had come to drop off their kids too."Mom, my class is that way," Jordan said, pointing upstairs."Okay, be good," Ava called after him."Where is yours?" Ava asked, looking down at Angel and Jenna.The two girls pointed in the same direction and chorused, "There!"Ava laughed and replied, "Okay, you two be good.""Okay," they chorused as they walked away.Ava watched them go with a smile, and then once they were out of sight, she turned to look for a teacher to talk to."Mrs Smith," Amber called from behind.Ava turned, smiling as Amber walked towards her. She was beautiful, Ava thought."Good morning," Ava said, adding, "It's just Ms.""Oh, ok
“There’s someone waiting in your office,” Anita said.“Who?” Nathan asked, then added, “Don’t worry, get back to work.”Nathan opened the door and walked into the office, wondering who it could be. As soon as he laid eyes on the person, the scowl on his face deepened.“What are you doing here?” Nathan asked.Emily turned around with a smile as she replied, “You don’t look too happy to see me.”“I’ll give you some minutes,” Mike replied at Nathan’s glance.“What do you want? I’ve got an important meeting in the next few minutes,” Nathan said, walking over to his desk.“You were once married to my stepsister, so I don’t really think we are strangers,” Emily replied, sitting down comfortably on the couch.“What do you want, Emily, or I might have to throw you out?” Nathan said, his voice ice cold as he stared at her.“Calm down; you don’t have to show your displeasure. I know you don’t want anything to do with us, but I’m here for a good reason,” Emily replied.“Spill,” Nathan said, chec
Ava looked at the box, silent for a minute a minute, wondering if she really wanted to know now.“I don’t think I want to know Oliver,” Ava replied.“I think you should; it’s saves you from all the doubt, Ava,” Oliver tried to persuade.Ava shook her head, then realized Oliver was on the other end of the phone and could not see her.“No, I’ll bring over the box, Oliver,” Ava replied.“Okay, no problem; I’ll be waiting to see you,” Oliver replied.Ava ended the call, staring at the box for a few seconds and then shaking her head as she said, “No, I can’t deal with this now.”She wrapped up the box, picked up her bag, and lifted the box, heading downstairs again.“Hey Ava, when did you get back?” Bella asked, coming out of her room as Ava walked towards the stairs.“Not long ago, I’m going out again; I’ll be right back,” Ava replied, going downstairs.“Where are you going with the box?” Bella called out.“I’m taking it with me,” Ava shouted.She opened the car and put the box at the bac
Nathan looked at his wristwatch, wondering if he should open the mail or not. As he contemplated, his phone started ringing, and it was his dad.“Hello Dad,” Nathan said, picking up the call.“Nathan, did you get my mail?” Peter asked.He didn’t wait to get a response from Nathan before he continued.“I need that sorted out now, Nathan,” Peter said.“Dad...” Nathan called, but the call had already ended.He clicked on the mail and opened it, and for a minute he didn’t understand what his father sent."Nathan, you are running late,” Mike called, walking back into the office.He saw Nathan scowling at the screen of his laptop and asked, “What’s wrong?”“Check this out,” Nathan said, forwarding the mail to him.Mike opened the tab that was always with him and checked the mail. As soon as he read the content, he looked up in surprise.“Did something happen?” Mike asked.Nathan was not sure what was going on, but he was looking at a rejected file of the budget his father had already signed
Ava slammed her legs on the breaks, her heart pounding as she stared at the road and then at Bella.“Sorry,” Bella said in a small voice.Ava had almost run the red light, missing colliding with an oncoming truck on the other side of the road.“It’s fine,” Ava replied, trying to calm her nerves.Her heart was beating so fast, she placed a hand on it to calm her down. It brought back memories, one that was not so pleasant.“Ava?” Bella called, placing a hand on Ava’s hand, which was gripping the steering wheel tightly.Ava turned to look at Bella, her eyes filled with pain, unable to breathe.“Breath Ava, breathe, take in a deep breath, and then breathe out,” Bella said, taking her hand in hers.Ava rasied her head up and down, hoping it would help with her breathing. Behind them, car horns alerted them to the changed light."Let me drive," Bella insisted, still feeling the trembling in Ava's hand."Okay," Ava muttered, and she climbed out of the driver's seat to the back of the car an
Bella turned to look out the window at Ava's expression and saw Noah standing there too."What is he doing?" Bella was saying when he knocked on the window, signaling for her to lower it."Noah, how…" Bella tried to ask when she lowered the window, but he beat her to it."Is she alright?" He asked, looking concerned, his eyes totally fixed on Ava's face."Yes, I believe she is," Bella replied."How did you find us?" Ava asked, pulling her hair away from her face."I was right behind you when we left the Civic Tower. I had something to pick up at the store, and then I saw your car sitting there despite the fact that the light was green, and I assumed something must be wrong," Noah explained."Oh," Bella muttered."I was not feeling too well. I guess I just got dizzy," Ava lied, not wanting to get into any details with Noah around."Can I have a look?" Noah asked, looking at Bella."Sure, you're the doctor," Bella replied, stepping out of the car for him.Noah slid into the back seat 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 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'