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
Pasting a smile on her face, Ava looked up and saw Noah staring at her, his brows raised in question, a hint of amusement in his eyes.“Hello,” Ava said, stepping out of the elevator.“Hello, do you feel better?” Noah asked, now smiling at her.“I believe I do,” Ava replied, returning his smile.“You look breathtaking, by the way,” Noah said, his voice husky, eyes intently on her.“Oh, thank you,” Ava replied, flashing a confident smile.She felt more assured in her charm than she had ever been when she was married to Nathan.“Fancy running into you here. I didn’t quite get the time to speak with you at length yesterday,” Noah continued.“Oh, hmm, I came to see an acquaintance. What about you? Shouldn’t you be at the hospital?” Ava asked, then quickly added, “Not that I’m saying you have to only be at the hospital.”Noah chuckled. “Of course, I get what you meant. I also came to see an acquaintance. He’s a barrister here.”“Oh, I see,” Ava replied.“Yes, well, don’t let me hold you up
“Don’t look so surprised. Have a seat, please,” Oliver Tilper said to Ava.Ava noticed Oliver Tilper was slightly older than she had pictured. His hair was thinning, with streaks of white interspersed throughout.“You know I changed my name?” Ava asked, her surprise evident.“Of course, how else do you think I found you? That’s your mother’s name, after all,” Oliver replied.“It’s been months since you sent me that mail,” Ava said as she sat down in front of his desk.The office was large, with shelves lined with books—a typical barrister’s office. Oliver had on glasses that sat on the edge of his nose like a trophy.“Yes, it has. I was beginning to think you were never going to show up. That would have greatly disappointed your mother,” Oliver replied.Ava felt her heart stop for a second as she stared at Oliver, her stomach dropping as if she were standing on an edge.“My mom?” Ava asked cautiously.“Yes. How about some tea? You’ll need it because this is going to be quite a long st
“Nathan, it’s time for your appointment,” Mike said as he walked into Nathan’s office.They were preparing for a project, which meant Nathan had more meetings than paperwork.“Who am I meeting today?” Nathan asked.“Ella Howard, the head of creative,” Mike responded.“Oh, I thought Ella was out of the country.” Nathan said.“Yes, but she got back a few days ago, and I managed to get her personal assistant to schedule this appointment for us,” Mike explained.“Oh, okay, that’s fine,” Nathan replied.“I’ll get the driver to bring the car up front,” Mike said, turning to leave the office.“That reminds me, Mike, where are we on preparations for the kids' competition?” Nathan asked.“Oh, the school committee will be meeting soon. Once they submit a report, we can proceed with our usual support,” Mike explained.“Okay, keep me posted. Since Thomas couldn’t go for registration today, I should use that opportunity when taking him to see the school chairman,” Nathan said.Mike nodded, smiling
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'