"Keep your voice down, Bella," Ava cautioned, looking back to make sure the kids were not looking their way."What? You expect me to remain silent after you just dropped such a huge bomb on me?" Bellas asked, looking shocked."Here is your order, ma'am," an attendant said to them."Thank you," Ava replied, with a warm smile as she took two cups of ice cream.“You need to say something,” Bella whispered, picking up the remaining three cups.“I am going to explain as soon as we have the time,” Ava whispered back, turning to head over to the kids.“Well, all we’ve got is time, Ava, so you better start speaking now,” Bella replied in a hard tone.“Yeah! Ice cream!” Jenna shouted in excitement as Ava placed a cup in front of her.“We’ve got about twenty minutes, so let’s dig in,” Ava said as she took a seat beside Bella.Bella’s eyes were shooting lazers at her, wating for her to speak. There was a mixture of shock, curiosity, and anger in her eyes, and Ava understood why she should feel t
Nathan stopped to check the text message, but before he could scroll his screen up, he saw his father up ahead waving to him.Putting the phone in his pocket with the intention to check it later, Nathan hurried over to meet Peter."Took you long enough," Peter muttered as they finally walked into the elevator."He had some things he wanted to run by me," Nathan responded."Didn't look like you guys were running anything by each other, more like you were running over each other," Tyler said, his lips drawn up in amusement."Not that it's any of your concern," Nathan shot back at him."I'm just saying you don't need to get so pissed, well, except I'm right after all," Tyler muttered."Stop it! you two," Peter shouted, glaring at them."I didn't do anything," Tyler said."Must you guys fight like two bulls filled with anger? Can't you both just be civil? For Christ sake, we are at a client's site," Peter said, shaking his head at them.Nathan remained silent, his eyes staring at the door
Oliver walked into the office, his once broad smile dying off at the sight of the Crawford family."Hello, Mr. Crawford," Oliver said with a nod, before adding, "Nathan, Tyler,""Speak of the man and he shows up," Mr. Clark said with a warm smile, unaware of the tension.""Hello Oliver," Peter said before turning to Mr. Clark, "We would be on our way now."As they left, Nathan had his eyes narrowed on Oliver."Looks like good old Oliver is well after all," Tyler muttered as they walked out the door."You knew about Oliver?" Nathan asked, turning to his father as they entered the elevator."Yes," Peter replied."How come I didn't know about him? Does grandpa know?" Nathan asked."I didn't see any reason to mention him to you, Nathan; besides, you never directly dealt with the textile company, so I don't see how it's important, and yes, your grandfather knows," Peter replied."He was the only one who was really close to Mom regarding the corporation's operations, and you didn't think I'
Jenna looked from her mother to Bella, weighing her words. Although Bella was shaking her head at her, she had no idea what it meant.Ava looked from Bella to Jenna before saying, "Go on, speak.""Aunt Bella is going to hide Mum," Jenna finished."Really? Why?" Angel asked Bella, her brows drawn in puzzlement as she turned to Bella.Ava sighed in relief, glad that Jenna had heard their words in reverse."What does Mom always say?" Ava asked, bending down till she was at the same height with Jena."Don't eavesdrop on Mommy," Jenna said, bowing her head before Ava lifted it up with her index finger."But you just did," Ava said with a warm smile."Mom, she was sitting in between; I guess that's why," Jordan said, shrugging his shoulders."He's right," Bella said, shrugging too.Ava shot a hard stare in Bella's direction and then turned back to Jenna."Sorry, mummy," Jenna replied."It's fine," Ava replied, kissing her cheeks."Now, we can all go home, right?" Bella said with a grin."Ye
Ava jerked forward, her heart skipping a beat at the sudden touch on her shoulders."Hey, it's me," Noah said, raising his up quickly in surrender at the look of anger on Ava's face."Oh, sorry," Ava muttered, sighing deeply as she faced forward.Noah walked to his seat and sat down, his eyes squinted in puzzle as he looked at her."Are you okay?" Noah asked."Hummm, yes, I'm fine," Ava replied, looking back at her phone as she continued to slide up the screen.The text from Oliver didn't provide much information.-'I need to speak with you; call me; it's important.'"You don't really look like you're okay," Noah stated, resting on the back of his chair and folding his hands on his chest.Ava looked and placed her phone on the table as she replied, "I'm fine; I just got a text from someone, but it's all cool."Noah didn't look convinced, but he let it go as he finally smiled at her."It's nice to see you, and you look lovely, by the way," Noah stated."Thank you, not that I knew you w
By the time Nathan got to the office, his mind was still on what had happened at Elegance and Style."What's up with what I asked you for?" Nathan asked Tyler as they walked into his office ten minutes later."Well, it depends; all I know is that Ava has been seen frequently at the company alongside Oliver," Mike explained."They seem to be working closely together on a new project," Mike added, raising suspicions about their collaboration.Nathan's curiosity piqued as he realized there might be more to the situation than he initially thought."Knowing Ava, I won't put it past her to be doing this because of me," Nathan murmured under his breath."I'll keep an eye on them and see if I can figure out what's really going on," Mike replied in a determined tone."I don't think that's necessary; I know what she is trying to do," Nathan responded."What would that be?" Mike asked, not sure what Nathan was trying to insinuate."She is trying to get back at me for what I did all those years b
Nathan turned back slowly to look at his grandfather, who was already resting his back comfortably on his seat and looking at him."You look like you have somthing your mind," Timothy said, folding his hands on his chest."Well, it's just that there is something I need to clarify with you," Nathan said."Okay, out with it." Timothy stated."It's actually about...," Nathan replied, sighing deeply as he trailed off.He hesitated, wondering if he was making the right decision, but he had to know."Okay, out with it. You're not going to stand there for the rest of the day, are you?" Timothy asked."Hmm, so, I just came back from Elegance and Style, and I saw Oliver Tilper," Nathan stated.Timothy's face was unreadable; it was like a mask had fallen on it. It was times like this that Nathan knew he could not tell what his grandfather was thinking nor what to expect from him."Hmmm, hmmm," Timothy grumbled in response, nodding his head for him to continue."Are you aware he is around? The l
Mr. Clark looked up at Oliver, his eyes widened in shock at his words."What do you mean that's not a problem? In fact, it's what we have been waiting for; that's good news, but then what changed?" Mr. Clark asked, his shock-stricken face pulling up in a smile."So, I can't say what changed, but the CEO wants it to be done a few hours earlier than we planned, and also, the live broadcast would hold tonight, just something smaller. This afternoon, we would just supply the details to the media team and let them announce it," Oliver explained, sighing in relief."Wow, okay, we have a lot to do. I'll need to meet with the media team, but first do you have the profile ready? Because we do not have it since we do not even know who this person is," Mr. Clark stated."Yes, I do; it's right here with me," Oliver replied, pulling out a file from the bag with him.He looked up from the file, then to Mr. Clark, and added, "Things are finally falling into place.""Yes, they are, but are you going
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'