Gift looked up and saw Jeffery coming towards them, a bottle of water in hand."She is just a small girl; why were you taking out your frustration on her?" Jeffery whispered to Gift.Then he turned to Teressa and said, "I am so sorry for how she spoke to you. If you want, I can get her another ice cream.""No, I don't want it," Lisa said, her eyes still fixed on Gift.Gift scoffed and folded her hand on her chest as she murmured to herself, "She looks like someone I know—so much anger, exactly like her." Then she hissed."I want to go home," Lisa said."Thank you, sir; you are too kind. There is no need for you to buy her the ice cream." Teressa replied.she then took Lisa's hand, and they walked out on them.Gift kept staring after them as she said, "If that girl was big enough, I'm sure she would have decided to beat me up. Did you see how she was glaring at me?"Jeffery shook his head, then turned in the opposite direction and started walking.Gift saw him go and shouted, "Where ar
"He was right behind me," Matthew responded.Liam stepped out a second later, laughing at Matthew and pointing at his scared face."Uncle Matthew was so scared," Liam said, laughing."Liam, that was not funny; why did you have to wear it." Matthew replied, smiling."What happened inside?" Lisa asked curiously."Uncle Matthew is afraid of the skeletons," Liam told her."Really?" Lisa asked."Yes, and I put this one on to scare him more," Liam added, lifting a mask of skeleton Agnes had gotten for him earlier.Lisa laughed, pointing at it and saying, "That's just a mask.""Well, Lisa, I didn't know that earlier, especially when he suddenly looked like one of the skeletons," Matthew replied."Okay, enough of the talks about skeletons; let's get to the car." Agnes stated."Are we going already?" Liam asked, his face turning sad at the mention of leaving."Yes, we are Hunnie; don't worry, we'll come back some other time," Agness promised."Okay," Liam replied.They all walked over to the c
Laura saw the smile first as she turned before taking in the whole face. He looked different, and she wondered what he was doing in the building."You look even more amazing each time I see you," Jared replied, adding, "It's true what they say about wine becoming sweeter with longer years of aging.""Hello, Jared, Are you comparing me to wine? What are you doing here?" Laura asked, her face neutral."Oh, dear, I was just making an example of how good you look, and as to why I am here, I had a few things to settle with some of my workers." Jared replied."You have an office space in this building?" Laura asked."Yes, I do. I wish I could own all of it, but you know, Lily Whites, she beat me to it," Jared replied.Laura smirked at his words; she didn't remember him being so arrogant, but well, she could hardly say she knew him back then. They were strangers who hadn't even had the time to get to know each other well before that faithful night."What do your workers here do?" Laura asked
"It's you again!" Little Bobby shouted as he ran into Laura's arms."Bobby!" Vivian called, surprised that he had run into the hands of a stranger.Vivian pulled him away from Laura so she could step into the elevator."I'm sorry about that; he seemed so excited to see you," Vivian said.Laura smiled. "It's fine; Bobby and I are acquinted," she replied."Oh, really," Vivian replied, looking down at her son with raised brows."Yes, mummy, she is the mummy of the twins," Little Bobby shouted."Oh," Vivian said again, this time around her face brightened with understanding."Oh, you're the one," Vivian said."Mummy of the twins?" Laura asked, her brows raised in a playful smirk.Little Bobby laughed at her and replied, "Yes, Lisa and Liam, I remember their names.""He hasn't stopped talking about those two since the last time I dropped him here," Vivian stated.Laura smiled. "Oh, I see," she replied."I frequently have a lot of events to oversee; I'm an event planner, you see, and having
Laura and Agnes ran into the room, wondering what the explosion was all about."What is going on here?" Laura asked.Standing in the center of the living room was Liam, a deflated balloon on his head as he stood there, glaring at his sister."Lisa?" Agnes called.Teressa stood there too, wondering what had caused the sound.Lisa sat there quietly, her eyes round and her hands spread out in innocence."I didn't do anything, mom," Lisa said."It's a lie; Lisa wouldn't let go of the ballon, and it exploded and landed on my head," Liam accused her.Laura tried not to laugh as she walked towards them. The balloon lay on Liam's head like a poorly placed helmet."Lisa, why did you do that?" Agnes asked.Lisa shook her head and cluthched another balloon to her."I could help them clear up the toy; you should have called me," Teressa said, trying to gather up the toys from the floor."No, Teressa, they would pick it up themselves. Lisa and Liam, what do I always tell you? If you make a mess wi
Laura paused, turned slowly, and moved towards the other end of the railing, close to Jason."Why do you think you hurt me in the past?" Laura asked."I don't know; you just seem hell bent on seeing me as an enemy," Jason replied."If I ever met you in the past, I think I would pretty much remember," Laura stated."Why, then, are you bent on keeping me as an enemy?" Jason asked, moving closer to her too.Laura smiled. "Trust me, Jason, you are not my enemy; I just don't like your attitude," she replied.Jason raised his brow and asked, "Do you think your attitude is worth emulating too?""There we go again; you hear one word of truth, and you become defensive," Laura told him."How? I'm not; I think you should ask yourself why you find my attitude wrong when every other person doesn't seem to have an issue with it," Jaosn replied."Ahh, so that's what you tell yourself, or, come to think of it, it's possible no one has the guts to tell you the truth," Laura shot at him."You have a ba
"I said I was currently making more calls to our contacts," Tim replied."No, not that, before that," Jason replied."Oh, I said she was in Los Angeles around the time Steve Anderson was there," Tim stated."There, that does not sound like a coincidence to me." Jason murmured.He sat back on his seat and thought for a minute, wondering if he was missing something. Every time he had thought there was nothing much to her, he had found layers of the unknown. He wondered if he was wrong in this instant too."Okay, continue calling, but make sure you monitor what the Whites consulting firm does, especially Laura, just in case we get something," Jason said at last."Okay, I'll do that," Tim replied."Yes, do. Also, I need you to reach out to David about that proposal; I need a reply soon," Jason said as he got ready to dive into work for the day."I would send a mail to ask how far with the review," Tim replied, adding, "Is there anything else, Master North?"Jason looked up at Tim, raised
As Tobias rasied his b*tt to rise in recognition of Lily's announcement of making him her heir, he heard the rest of her words."My heir at the Whites year-end party in six months," Lily stated.Tobias's smile died a painful death as his lips became rigid and his b*tt slammed back down on the chair."Wow, aunt, that would be wonderful," Sandra said with a smile."Yes, of course, we have all been like children to her, so it's only natural," Tobias said with a fake chuckle."Of course, you all are like children to me, considering the fact that I do not have any children," Lily was saying, but stopped halfway."We all understand, Aunt Lily; whoever you choose, we promise to ensure your legacy is never destroyed," William interjected."Thank you, everyone. Okay, that's enough with the sad story. Up you go, get back to work," Lily said in a stern voice.Everyone chuckled as they hugged and kissed Lily on the cheeks before heading out of the conference room.Tobias ensured he was the last t
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