Laura raised her brow at Jason as she stared at the new joiner. Laura smiled at her, but she replied with a scrowl."Now, that looks like your problem, so I'm going to leave you to attend to it, and by the way, we do not have any unfinished business," Laura whispered as she turned back to the room and closed the door.Jason stood there, staring at the door for a full minute, before turning to face his guest."What now? I told you not to come here, Gift," Jason said, deciding to go see his mother instead of going back to his suite."I know, but if I had listened to all you tell me, I would not have caught you and Laura right now," Gift Hatcher replied.Jason shook his head as he said, "Don't' start with that Gift; this is really not the time for it."Jason took out his phone and beeped Charlie to get the car ready before he stepped into the elevator.Gift raised her brows at him as she said, "Where the h*ll are you going? Are you not going to invite me inside? And by the way, inside is
David stood there wondering what Agnes was talking about, but he managed to smile as she stepped back and drew him inside."Good day, ma'am," David said."Come, join us," Agnes said, pulling towards the table."I see you made it," Laura said as soon as she saw David."Yes, I did; it would have helped if you had told me it was the twins birthday," David said.Laura smiled as she replied, "No, it's not their birthday, it's mine."David was surprised; he had been surprised to see her send him a text about an hour ago to come over. Although they had mad plans to have dinner sometime soon just that morning, Laura had decided to invite him over for the small party instead."Now, that's not good, Laura," David said, raising his brow at him.Laura chuckled as Liam reached out and poked David on the arm with his little finger."Uncle David, where is Mummy's gift?" He asked."Liam!" Laura exclaimed, wondering why in the world he would ask such a question."He came for your birthday, and I don't
Jason stared at his mother blankly; she was taking the whole situation beyond what it was supposed to be."Mom, you need to calm down. Okay, clam down," Jason said, taking her hands in his and gripping them tightly."I promise you that I will be fine; just breathe with me, okay?" Jason added.Natasha took a deep breath and sighed out loudly as she slumped against Jason's chest."Your father never believed you had gotten yourself drunk that night, nor did he believe that you would do something so stupid," Natasha said."I know, mom, I can't remember anything, so we can't say or conclude what really happened," Jason muttered as his mind went back in time."Yes, which is why you need to be careful; be wary of your uncles. They might have contributed to you being the chairman, but don't be fooled; they sure have a plan up their sleeves," Natahsa said again."I know, mom. I promise you, I'll be fine," Jason repeated again."Okay, then why don't you move back into the house? Here you can be
"Do you really want to know what I'm talking about?" Lily asked with raised brows."Uhm, sure, I guess so," Tobias replied, unsure if that was the right answer to give."Thank you for that, Tina; you can take that back inside," Lily said to Tina."Okay, I'll be on my way home now too, if that would be all," Tina responded."Yes, Tina, that would be all. I'm sure Tobias would keep me company for a little while, and then I'll send him packing when I'm about to go to bed," Lily explained.Tina smiled at her response and nodded. "Okay, have a good night, Lily," she said."You too, Tina; see you in the morning," Lily replied."Good night, Tina," Tobias said as Tina left them.Lily turned to her books and continued to read. Tobias sat there silently for a few seconds before finally saying, "I think you should tell me."Lily looked up, her brows raised as she said, "Do you think that's a good idea?""I mean, you just told me you know a secret I'm keeping from you; what do you expect me to sa
As the study door burst open, Tobias could hear his heart beat in his ears. He hoped whoever was at the door was not hearing it either.He heard footsteps walk into the room slowly, stopping at the entrance before moving closer. Tobias held his breath, waiting patiently and praying not to be caught. As much as he could lie about being there, he didn't want any misunderstanding between him and Lily.Just before the person rounded the corner towards him, the steps stopped."I thought I heard someone in the room," Dalia muttered to herself as she realized everything was in place.She noticed that the box and everything else Lily had placed on the table were still in their rightful place."Maybe I was misaken after all," Dalia thought as she turned and headed out the door.She switched off the light by the door and then closed the door behind her.In the darkness, all was quiet for a minute before Tobias cursed from his bent position under the desk."What the h*ll?" Tobias cursed as he rol
Laura turned back to see her father standing there, with Anna Philips right behind him."Hello, father, stepmother," Laura said to them with a nod of her head."To what do we owe the honor of you coming to see us here?" Anna asked, looking at Laura skeptically.Laura shook her head and stepped closer to them as she answered, "No, I am here to see Grace; we have some things to discuss.""Oh, I see. Don't you think you have something you're supposed to say to us?" Anna asked.Laura raised her brow, wondering what Anna was referring to since she had not seen them since the last time they invited her for dinner."Oh," Laura said as it finally struck her."So?" Anna asked again."Sorry, I could not make it to dinner; I had something to attend to, so if you will please show me the way to Grace's office, I will be out of your hair in no time," Laura replied, adding, "I don't want to stay too long in a place I don't fit right."Jerry Philips stared at her for a long time before turning and wa
"Mom? Dad?" Grace said as she stepped into the room. She had been told at the reception that they were here.She didn't see Laura standing behind the door until she closed the door behind her."I see your trip must have been cut short, Grace," Laura said.Grace was surprised to see Laura there so soon after their last encounter. Her face was neutral as she spoke."What are you doing here, Laura?" Grace asked."Ah, I see you don't look really happy to see me; hmm, I wonder why though," Laura stated, raising a brow at her."Stop this, Laura," Grace said, stepping towards her, dropping her voice a notch, and whispering, "The f*ck are you doing here? Do you want to f*cking tell on me?"Laura smiled, seeing the fear in her eyes. She knew it was not from telling her parents their secret but from the truth she was hiding."You found a way to escape telling me the truth the last time, Grace; I am here to find out exactly what you are trying to cover up," Laura replied back."Grace What is thi
Laura opened her eyes to see Jason standing there and just staring at her. His hand reached her face and pulled a piece of air that was stuck to her check away."Oh, uhm, thank you," Laura said nervously as she turned to see she had pushed off a glass cup just as the door opened.Tim and Audrey hurried into the room, with Audrey holding some files. The tension in the room was palpable as they looked from Laura to Jason before noticing the shattered glass on the floor."Oh, my god, step away from that; I'll get someone to come pack it up," Audrey said, hurrying over to them to drop the file on the table."How did that happen?" Tim said, still looking at Jason and Laura, who seemed to be oblivious to every other person in the room."Yes, please, thank you, Audrey," Jason said, pulling Laura away from the glasses towards the other end of the office."It's good to see you both are fine; would you like me to stay?" Tim asked.Jason turned to him and raised a brow, and Tim nodded as he adde
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