~Ten minutes earlier~Jason dragged himself out of bed, the vibration of his phone piercing his subconsciousness. completely drowsy and wishing he didn't have to leave the bed. He pulled himself toward the table to pick up his phone, which he had left there the night before."F*ck!" Jason cursed as he stumbled towards the table."Who the hell is calling me so early in the day?" He muttered as he picked up the phone.He had only shorts; his perfectly chiseled chest was bare, and his tousled hair fell over his left eye in a simple fashion."You know some people would be grateful they don't have to come to work so early on a weekend," Jason groaned into the phone as he walked barefoot to the kitchen in his living room."Jason, we both know you love it," Tim replied with a chuckle on the other end."What do you want, Tim? It's f**king early on a Saturday morning to be calling me," Jason asked.After pouring himself a glass of water, he headed back to the bedroom.He had left Lily's place
"Who?" Laura asked, wondering who her daughter was pointing at."It's the fine, man!" Lisa said it again.Jason, who stood stunned at the door, found himself smiling at the cute little girl. He was on his way to the family house and was wearing a casual sweat pant and a shirt.""Lisa, come here; let's go," Laura called out, but to her amazement, she ran over to Jason."Hello," Jason said to her."Hi, I like your shirt," Lisa told him."Were you the one who left me some cake a while ago?" Jason askedLisa grinned. "Yes, did you like it?" she asked."Uhm, maybe you should try giving it to me directly next time," Jason told her."Okay, I'll ask Mummy next time," Lisa told him.Laura was livid where she stood. What was going on? She thought. Definitely, Jason had never spoken to her daughter before, so why were they talking like they knew each other?"Your name is Jason North, right?" Lisa asked in her little, cute voice.Jason smiled, looking over her head at Laura with a raised brow. "Ye
"What? Why is everyone looking like a cat got their tongue?" The woman speaking asked the rest of the group.Jason rested his shoulder on the doorpost, gently watching the drama take place before him."Uhm, I think you should..." Rita North tried to say, but the woman cut her off."Oh, don't be silly; you don't need to cover it; you rightly told us how she came to capture..." the woman explained further."You should go!" Rita North shouted, standing up abruptly."Oh, so soon, I was kind of enjoying the conversation; you don't need to stop because of me," Jason said sweetly, walking fully into the kitchen.The woman who had been speaking stood up abruptly, stuttering as she said, "Oh, uhm, Jason, when did you arrive?""It's not long enough to hear the juicy part of your story," Jason replied, smiling so sweetly at her.The woman blushed in embarrassment, ashamed to have been caught."Jason, they were just here to say hi; it's been a while since I came around here considering the fact t
Laura raised her brow, shaking her head at Lisa, who tried to stop Liam from talking."Lisa?" Laura called in a warning voice. She knew her twins were mischievous, but she really hoped what they were trying to hide was no big deal."Liam, Aunt Agnes did what?" Laura asked, urging Liam to continue."It was Aunt Agnes who helped us order the ticket to the movies," Liam confessed, giving his mother the puppy look.Laura looked at them silently for a while as she studied their faces. She knew her kids, and she could tell they were up to something."Mummy, don't say you won't go to the movies, please," Lisa begged."Lisa, Liam, what else are you not telling me?" Laura asked them."Nothing, mummy," Lisa shouted.Laura stretched her hands to them, and they came running into them."If you want me to do something, you should ask me directly next time, okay? Don't disturb Aunt Agnes, who lives so far away," Laura told them as she drew them to her in a hug."Okay, mummy," Lisa said, adding, "Mum
Shawn had a scowl on his face too as he turned to look at Jason."I said never; get it across," Jason said into the phone, ending the call he was making.Jason looked up and saw that he was the center of attention. He looked from one face to another and realized no one wanted to hold his gaze for too long."Is there something I'm missing?" Jason asked."I think it has to do with what you just said," Gift whispered beside him.Without saying a word, Jason walked over to sit beside his mother and took his seat."Come on, everyone, let's have our seat," Rita North said, gesturing for everyone to take their seat.The rest of the family walked over to the table, each of them murmuring as they had their seat."We don't want Uncle Luke and Uncle Terry's effort to go to waste, so eat up everyone," Jason said with a grin as he filled his plate.Shawn could feel himself boiling as he took his seat at the head of the table. With just a single word, Jason had drawn the control to himself, making S
"If there is anyone who is out of place right now, I'd say that is you, Uncle Luke; don't you think so?" Jason asked as he walked towards them.His palm balled into fist at his side as he stopped at his mother's side."Jason! I am your uncle; I won't take such a tone from you," Luke North said, trying to speak with the confidence he lacked at the moment in the presence of Jason."You should show us some respect, Jason; we are your uncles," Terry North interjected for emphasis.Jason turned to stare down at Terry North, who looked away, unable to bear the brunt of Jason's stare."You should behave in a way that deserves respect, and right now all I see is you disrespecting my mother," Jason fired back at them.Luke North's face was puffed up and red with anger as he stared at Jason."You have always been this way, showing off yourself because our father made you the sole heir to all that he has," Shawn said from the entrance.Behind him, they could all hear the merriment and laughter t
"Oh my god!" Gift exclaimed, more from the sudden light than from Jason's sudden grip on her arm.Blinded for a few seconds by the light, Jason hesitated before he quickly pulled up the window."What was that? It looked…" Gift was saying, and then it dawned on her as her face filled with understanding. She added, "Oh, a camera.""Why did you just open the window to cry out loud, Gift?" Jason asked, pissed off at the fact that a picture of them together, coming from his father's house, had just been taken.Charlie had slowed down to turn onto the main road, which had been the only advantage for whoever had taken that picture."I just felt like it," Gift explained, not looking as worried as Jason."Just when I thought there was nothing for them tabloids to spew about tonight, you go ahead and give it to them on a platter," Jason muttered in frustration."I really don't see how this is a problem; it was a family dinner; there was nothing special there to talk about," Gift retorted.Jason
There she was, looking like she had walked out of the pages of a fashion magazine.Jason felt the rush of blood in his head, and for the second time, he felt himself move in ways he thought impossible."What the hell is she doing here?" Gift muttered."Who are you talking about?" Jason asked, wondering how Gift had acquired Laura.While they spoke, Laura saw David up ahead waving to her. She smiled and walked up to him."Hey, you look amazing," David said to her as they hugged."You're not looking bad yourself," Laura replied, feeling more relaxed now that there was a familiar face to talk to."I'm actually surprised to see you here. Are you familiar with any of the actors, or are you just a movie lover?" David asked.Laura smiled and answered, "It's neither; if I told you the reason I'm here, you'll think I'm crazy."David chuckled and said, "Try me.""Okay, it's a peace treaty; I'm trying to keep the peace between myself and some very persistent authority in my life," Laura explaine
Shawn and Tobias looked back instantly, and the shock on their faces was so appealing that it brought a smile to Lily's face. "Laura? What are you doing here?" Tobias asked, looking shocked. "You look like you've seen a ghost." Laura said as she walked over and sat in front of them. Before they could answer, they heard a knock at the door, and Laura said, "Oh, that must be him." "Aunt, I thought you said she left," Tobias said, looking at Lily. Lily remained silent and only responded with a shrug. Laura opened the door, and Jason walked into the office, a sight that only made Tobias more scared and Shawn visibly angry. "You were saying something about my family," Laura said, addressing Shawn. "What is going on here? Why does this feel like a trap? Are you suspecting us of something?" Shawn asked, standing up suddenly. "Nobody is suspecting you of anything; we are just asking you about your last statement," Lily said, breaking her silence. "You know what? I'm leaving. I only
As soon as they were alone, Jason turned back to Laura and said, "Let's hear it."Laura shook her head and replied, "Jason, up until this morning, I didn't have the information I have now. I was actually trying my best not to be angry at you.""Why would you be angry at me? If for anything, I should be the one pissed, because you were not picking up my calls and you left without any notice from the event that day.""I know, but if you hear me out, then maybe you will understand my reasons," Laura said, holding up her hand."Okay, you have the floor," Jason said as he took his seat a few feet away from her."I came back to town to find my mother and to find out what happened to me seven years ago," Laura said.Jason was silent as he watched her speak, his expression neutral. Laura brushed her hair behind her neck and continued to explain her mother's relationship to Lily."Suffix it to say that I found my grandmother, but I was not able to find out what happened that one night that I c
Grace walked into Jared's office, demanding to have an audience with him."I'm sorry, ma'am, but you can't go in now; he is not on sit," the receptionist said apologetically."I know he is in there; tell him that if he does not see me now, he won't like the next news he hears," Grace responded.Having no choice, the receptionist put a call through to Jared's office again and relayed the message.After a few minutes, she dropped the phone and said, "You can go in, ma'am.""I thought as much," Grace replied, and she walked straight to the elevator.It had been radio silence since her last confrontation with Jared, but now she was going to rain down all the anger she felt within on him."I told you not to come here, Grace," Jared said as soon as Grace walked into his office."I don't give a damn what you say any longer, Jared," Grace replied with scorn."What exactly do you want, Grace?" Jared asked."What do I want? Huh, that's rich coming from you." Grace replied, adding, "You know I h
Lily was surprised to hear that, so she gripped her hand tightly and asked, "What else is there that I haven't said?"Laura shook her head and replied, "No, not you; it's from me.""Oh, what is it?" Lily asked.Laura pulled her hand from Lily's grip and brushed it through her hair as she sighed deeply."Actually, I came back to town because of two things. The first was because of the note you sent to me about my mother, and the second was because I wanted to find out what happened to me about seven years ago." Laura explained.Lily's face squeezed in confusion as she asked, "Something happened to you? What might it be?""Well, I don't know either; all I know is that I got pregnant after, and that was what resulted in my father sending me away from town," Laura replied."What?" Lily exclaimed in shock."Yes, you see, I was betrothed to Jared Tuner, but my stepsister set me up that night," Laura said, explaining what Grace had told her about the same night.There was more confusion on L
"Jason?" Tim called, wondering what was wrong."Okay, Liam, thank you for calling me. Do you know where you stay?" Jason said this on the phone.Tim realized he was talking to Laura's son and shrugged, hoping he got the answer he was looking for."No, that's fine. How is Lisa?" Jason asked.Just like magic, the hard look on Jason's face cleared as he spoke with the children. After a few minutes, the call ended."So?" Tim asked."They are leaving in two days," Jason said."What two days?" Tim replied, surprised."Yes," Jason replied, his voice sounding dejected."Oh, oh," Tim muttered."What did Gift say?" Jason asked."Nothing, just like I told you she would," Tim replied, adding, "Don't the kids know where the house is?""They don't; I think Liam called me from the card I gave him sometimes back," Jason replied."Hmm, well, I think you have tried all that you can," Tim said encouragingly.I am really going to lose Laura, Jason thought as he sat there, staring into space.*************
When Jason walked into the office that morning, everyone who saw him knew something was wrong."Jason, you don't look so good," Tim whispered behind him as they walked through the building lobby."You look like you did not get any sleep last night," Tim added as he noticed a few people staring at Jason."That is of less concern right now, Tim; I need you to get Gift here today," Jason replied as they boarded the elevator."Gift? You mean the same Gift Hatcher?" Tim asked."Yes, I need to ask her about Laura. She mentioned some time ago that they had been childhood friends," Jason replied.Tim shook his head, knowing that was not going to be a good idea, considering the outcome of the last meeting Gift had with Jason."I can basically feel you shaking your head from here," Jason muttered."Uhm, I just don't think Gift would be a good idea; I mean, after the last time, she would not be so keen to see you." Tim explained.Jason was at his wits end, and he was only trying to hold it all t
Jason woke up that morning with a heavy concern in his heart. He had tossed and turned through the night.The night before, he had been stunned by Tim's statement, and for a moment, his heart had frozen."What did you just say?" He had asked."Humm, I just heard from Emily, who heard from Laura's live-in nanny that Laura is leaving town," Tim had replied carefully.Jason had sat at the back of the car, stunned by the news. He had imagined a lot of outcomes from her sudden departure from the hotel, but he had not imagined that she would leave town."When did you get this information?" Jason had asked."Uhm, just before you stepped out of your office," Tim had also replied catiously."Why isn't she telling me about leaving town? Why is she suddenly avoiding me?" Jason asked himself, feeling a sinking feeling in his belly.Now, at the dawn of a new day, Jason climbed out of bed, looking dazed as he murmured, "I never thought I would feel this way."He walked over to the balcony and stare
"I really must have feelings for him," Laura muttered under her breath."Laura?" Teressa called again."I'm fine; I just felt a tiny pain in my chest," Laura said."Okay, let me get you water or something," Teressa said, hurring over to the mini-kitchen in the apartment.Laura's phone rang, and she saw Audrey's name on the screen."Hello, Adurey," Laura said, picking up the call."I think something must be really wrong," Audrey said in response."What?" Laura asked, her brows squeezed in confusion."You never miss a chance to work; that's why I'm wondering what's going on. How are you feeling now?" Audrey asked.Laura shook her head as she replied, "I'm fine, Audrey; I'm just not up for work yet.""Okay, no problem; I just wanted to check in on you," Audrey replied."Thank you," Laura replied, adding, "If there is anything that requires my urgent attention, please let me know.""Don't worry, I will," Audrey replied before ending the call.Laura pulled the phone from her ears and rubbe
"Hello? Lily?" Jason said as soon as he heard her voice."Jason, how are you?" Lily said, breaking into a smile as she realized it was Jason."I'm okay. How are you? Is Laura there? I called to speak with her," Jason replied.Lily looked back, and to her dismay, Laura was gone. She looked from Audrey to Tina, both of whom had unreadable expressions on their faces."Humm, she is not feeling too well and has taken the day off," Lily replied, adding, "If there is anything you want us to help you with, I'm sure Audrey would take care of it.""Oh, yes, of course," Jason replied, the line silent for a few seconds before he added, "Are you aware she moved out of the hotel?"Lily coughed slightly as she replied, "Uhm, yes, I am.""Uhm, so do you know where she moved to? Well, not that I am particularly interested; I'm just, you know, trying to be a good neighbor; I believe we were neighbors," Jason replied, forcing himself to stop after realizing how he must sound."Hmm," Lily said, her brows