Ava watched as the man approached her, escorted by an usher, who most likely was coming to show him his seat.“Now, I know we all must have a lot of questions for us tonight,” Elliot Sage said from the stage.Ava realized she was still standing and quickly had her seat without taking her eyes off the doctor.“Here’s your seat, Mr.” the usher said.“First of all, I’d like to say it’s an honor to be here. The Sage…” Daphne Summers was saying, her voice overshadowing the usher.Ava turned to the man and said, “Hello, we meet again.”He looked at her through deep blue eyes with a look of puzzle on his face.“You probably don’t remember, we...” Ava was saying when an usher walked over to her.“Ms. Rachel, you are needed backstage,” the usher said.“Oh, uhm,” Ava muttered, looking from the usher to the man who had helped Jordan.“I’ll be right back,” Ava told the stranger.When they got backstage, the usher directed her to a big and angry-looking guy.“This is Ms. Isabella's PA,” the usher s
"Oh, one would think you're about to pounce on me," Nora said as she walked up to Ava.She had witnessed part of the conversation and hoped that the resentments from her family would push her out of town once again.Ava's lips lifted up in a smile when she realized it was Nora. There was no way she was going to give Nora the chance to pity her."Hello Nora, you look better," Ava replied."I always did look better, you know, probably why you're there and I am here," Nora said with a smile, the underlying message like a soft jab to Ava's heart."Probably, well, like they always say, trash is better kept in the bin," Ava replied.Nora's eyes narrowed intantly, but before she could say another word, Ava turned away.Standing behind her was Nathan, looking at her through very hard eyes. Without saying a word, Ava walked past him.As she entered, Ava saw Bella wave to her, and she walked towards the big round table where she was."That took long, are you okay?" Bella asked, taking her hand a
Nathan looked at Nora with distant eyes as Ava passed him by.“Were you looking for me?” Nora asked, quickly covering her expression with a smile.“What was that about?” Nathan asked.“Nothing; she was asking me questions, which I refused to give an answer to, and then she got angry,” Nora replied, looking painful.“You should not be talking to her, Nora,” Nathan replied, sighing deeply.He didn’t want any rumor going around about him, especially with the way things have been tense at the corporation.“I know, don’t worry,” Nora said, smiling at Nathan as she lashed onto his arm again, adding, “Her coming won’t stop any of our plans; she doesn’t mean anything to us anyway.”Nathan replied with just a nod as he looked back at the room. As he raised his hand to look at his wristwatch, they heard someone call out to him.“Hello brother,” Tyler Crawford said, walking towards them with a young lady beside him.Nora glared at the lady as she looked at her from head to toe.“F*ck, not tonight
As Ava looked up to see who the new joiners were, her phone vibrated. She picked it up and saw that it was a text."Oh, I almost forgot," Ava muttered."Forgot what?" Bella asked her."No, hum, nothing; it's just a client," Ava replied quickly.“Hello everyone,” Tyler said as he had his seat.“Hey, you just interrupted Daphne from telling us her secret,” Elliot said, joking.“Well, I can’t tell you anyway; it’s a secret after all,” Daphne replied.“Seems you all were having an amazing time without me,” Tyler replied.“Where is Nathan?” Elliot replied, looking behind Tyler.“I believe he got an emergency or something,” Tyler answered.Tyler knew there was no way Nathan would have stayed back after he arrived."You guys look really alike,” Noah stated, looking at Tyler’s face.Tyler laughed as he responded, “Well, I get that a lot, but no, we are not twins; we just happen to look really alike; it’s all thanks to my father, I’d say, the man’s got strong genes.”“Oh, I see,” Noah said, str
Nathan walked into the hospital, his long strides quickly carrying him to the elevator reserved just for them.“Nathan! Over here,” Nora called out to him as soon as he walked out of the elevator.He saw his stepmother, Clara Crawford, standing close to his father, Peter Crawford, as they were being addressed by the doctor.“He is going to be just fine; he just had something bad to eat. I’d advise you to watch his food for the next few days.” The doctor said as Nathan joined them.“What is going on?” Nathan asked, his gaze shifting from Nora to the doctor.“Oh, Nathan, it’s Thomas; he began to vomit and stool about an hour ago,” Clara replied, looking concerned.Nathan nodded at her as he asked the doctor, “How is he now?”“He is calm now; we have given him some IV fluids, and he is sleeping now.” The doctor replied with a reassured smile.“Okay, thank you, doctor,” Nathan replied.“Does Grandpa know about this?” Nathan asked.“Humm, no, he does not; I didn’t think about that,” Nora re
“Wow!” Jenna exclaimed as she stared in awe at the magnificent school in front of her.“A fly is going into your mouth,” Jordan told her, shaking his head.“No, it's not,” Jenna replied, pouting at him before going back to gawk at the school.Brad chuckled at their banter just as he said, “I hear you want to represent your school at the competition, Jordan.”“Yes, I want to win the mathematics competition especially,” Jordan replied, happy to finally be having a more mature conversation."Jenna, see, that’s our play ground,” Angel said, pointing at the field as they drove through the school gate.“It’s so big,” Jenna replied.“What about you, Jenna? Are you going to be in the competition too?” Brad asked as he drove into the car park.Jordan rolled his eyes as he muttered, "No, she is not because there is no dance.”Brad laughed at that just as Jenna shot out her tongue at Jordan and said, “Duh.”There were a lot of cars coming into the school that you could hardly believe the school w
“Please tell me I gave you the schedule yesterday,” Ava said as she walked towards Bella, still holding Jenna in her arms.Bella squinted her eyes in puzzle as she replied, “What schedule?”"Oh, oh,” Ava muttered as she sat down.“You mean the one you got from the guy who got on your nerve?” Bella asked.“Yes, I think you have missed an important meeting, Bella,” Ava said.“Oh my god!” Bella exclaimed, her eyes wide in shock as she looked at Ava.“I’m so sorry, I didn’t...” Ava was saying just as Bella burst into a fit of laughter.“Why is she laughing?” Ava asked BradBrad shrugged as he stood up, strolling up the stairs as he said, “I’m the wrong person to ask.”“I got a call earlier today to reschedule; don’t worry, you haven’t caused anything,” Bella replied.Ava sighed deeply as she replied with a relieved smile, “That’s not nice.”“What isn’t, I was just pulling your legs,” Bella replied.At that moment, Lucy walked in, an apron wrapped around her waist as she said, “Good day, Av
“She’s dead,” Bella replied. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” Ava gasped, wishing she had never asked. “No, it’s fine. She died while giving birth to Angel,” Bella said, her voice hoarse with emotion as she cleared her throat. “It’s been years, and I know that doesn’t take away the pain that you, and especially Brad, must have felt; I for one understand that,” Ava said, placing a reassuring hand on Bella’s shoulder. “Thank you,” Bella said, adding, “and please, can you not bring it up with him?” “Of course I won’t, promise,” Ava stated firmly. As they reached their destination, Bella’s phone rang, interrupting their conversation. Bella glanced at the screen and saw it was an unknown number. “Hello,” Bella said, putting the call on speaker as she drove into the Civic Tower parking lot. “Hello, Ms. Isabella, this is Mick, the project director for Mr. Elliot Sage. I’m calling because your personal assistant says she’s not with you,” Mick said. “Oh, yeah, there’s a bit of a cha
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'
"That was fast," Bella said as Ava finally joined them outside."Wasn't fast enough," Ava muttered under her breath."Okay, so I say we should go celebrate," Brad said."I agree," Bella stated."Mom, is he my dad?" Jenna asked, looking up at Ava."Why don't we get you some food and then we can talk about that?" Ava asked."Okay," Jenna replied in disappointment.ent.Brad realized what had happened and quickly said, "Who wants to go to the park afterwards?"Jenna's face lit up at the sound of the park, and she looked up and said, "Me.""Alright, let's all get into the car," Brad said and led the way to the car."I called over my driver to bring my car, so who wants to go with me?" Ava asked."Me!" Jordan shouted, raising his hand."The champion does not want to ride in my car?" Brad asked, crossing his hand on his chest."Oh, oh," Jordan said, grinning as he looked up at his mother."No problem, I'll just follow behind; the car is here already anyway, so Bella and I will follow behind,
Timothy looked from the stage to see Ava walking up towards him. He looked down to see the shock on Nathan's face and then looked towards the boy, and he knew."Nice to see you again, Mr. Crawford," Ava said as she stopped beside Jordan.Ava kept her composure as she kept a smile on her face, ready to face it all head-on.Then from behind her she felt a small hand slip into hers. She looked down and saw it was Jenna."Jenna!" Ava whisper-yelled.Jenna grinned up at her, a mischievous smile on her face as she looked from Ava to her brother.Jenna had slipped past Bella, who was caught up with looking at Ava, and Jenna had followed her mother to the stage."Oh, oh, are they twins?" Clara exclaimed as she looked from the girl beside Ava to the boy who had just beaten Thomas."I think they are," Wyatt said beside her."Don't tell me this is what I think it is," Clara muttered.Tyler whistled silently as he said in amusement, "Now, there are no doubts those are Nathan's."Nathan felt his b