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
"Hey bro, finally," Beth said with a smile as she kissed Noah on the lips.Ava's lips formed an oh shape as she noticed the resemblance in their features."Ava, meet Elizabeth, my younger sister," Noah introduced before adding, "Beth, Ava, a friend.""Hmm, that's new," Beth said to Noah before turning to Ava, extending her hand as she said, "Hi Ava, it's nice to meet you.""It's great to meet you too," Ava replied, taking her hand with a smile of her own."He never brings friends to work, well, at least friends who are work-related," Beth said, her brows raised as she looked from her brother to Ava."Well, it was a coincidence; I was actually just walking by," Ava tried to explain."She's playing with you Ava," Noah said, shaking his head at Beth."I like you," Beth said, adding, "You should come by more often.""Thank you," Ava replied with a warm smile."Alright, head out, boss; I've got everything under control," Beth said, shooing Noah out like a mother hen protecting her chick."
As Bella got to the door, it swung open again, and standing there was Ava."Are you okay? Where were you running to?" Ava asked Bella with rasied eyebrows."I was running to you. I forgot to tell you something and to also give this to you," Bella said, dangling a car key in front of Ava's face."Oh, right, that's exactly what I came back for; did you think I was going to walk the kids all the way to the school?" Ava askedBella shrugged as she answered, "Well, you never can say."Ava shook her head and took the key from Bella's hand before saying, "See you later.""Yeah, and humm, most improtantly, I have a meeting today, and I really want you to come with me," Bella stated.Ava looked over her shoulder and said, "We'll see.""Ava, be back on time," Bella called out as Ava got into the car.Brad had gotten a rental car for them, which they could use to convey the kids for their summer classes since he would be at work.Ava winked at Bella, then smiled sweetly as she backed the car out
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'