The next thing Laura saw was Liam colliding with the moving trolley and staggering backward.She rushed over to him and pulled him away as she asked, “Are you alright?”Then she looked up and said to the couple, “So sorry about this; I hope you are fine.”“Yes, I am, but next time you should hold your boy firmly so he does not run into someone else,” the lady replied.“Oh, he won't, so sorry once again,” Laura replied with a smile.“Oh, it’s fine; I’m sure he didn’t’ mean to cause any harm either,” the lady's husband replied.“No, he probably didn’t mean to, but he would have; you should get his father to hold him or something if you can’t.” The lady said again in a harsh tone, adding, “It’s a crowded place, not a good place for running for a young boy.”Liam’s little lips began to tremble as he said, “I wanted to go after Aunty Agnes; I forgot to tell her something.".Laura didn’t like the lady’s tone, so she replied, “I would appreciate it if you didn’t use that tone with him; he is
Laura looked at Gift, then at Audrey, torn between what to do. The main reason she had come to New York was presented to her, and she didn't know if she should forfeit the trip with Jaosn for it."What do you want to do, Laura?" Gift asked, raising her brows at her and adding, "You gave me two days, but I decided to come so we can get this over and done with."Laura took a deep breath and released it slowly as she made up her mind. If she could wait seven years, then a few more hours would not hurt."I am going on a trip, Grace, an important one. I need you to look me in the eye and promise that I can see you when I get back," Laura said.Grace was silent for a minute as she stared at Laura. She could simply say that was impossible and call their deal null since she was the one who had decided to go on a trip. However, Grace knew what she had to protect was more than that, so she nodded."Okay, I believe waiting a few more hours to hear my side of the story isn't too much to ask," Gra
"What is it?" Laura whispered back to Jason just as Matty coughed slightly to get their attention."Hey guys, I have just about twenty minutes for this meeting; something urgent just came up," Matty said."Oh," Laura replied, casting a glance at Jason."Okay, that's fine, we can work with that," Jason replied, adding, "Laura would give an in-depth report on the analysis, but there is one piece of information I would like to share.""Okay, let's hear it," Matty replied."I just got an update that Steve Anderson has endorsed us as his partnering business in New York," Jason announced."Really?" Laura asked, her eyes widening in surprise. She had not expected Steve to send in the reply so early; he really must be impressed by Jason's project, she thought."Wow, that's great news, I believe. I believe this is the point where Laura wows me away with her analysis," Matty said with a grin.Laura smiled as she replied, "I guess so."They spent the next few minutes going over the report Luara
"Oh my god, what was that?" Lily asked, her eyes widening with fear as Tina and Teressa ran to the room, with Lily following behind them.As soon as they opened the door, the sight that greeted them had their jaws hanging down in surprise. Liam stood at the foot of Lisa's bed and was laughing at her expression while he pointed at her face."What is going on here?" Teressa asked, looking from Lisa to Liam.Lisa had the most frightened look on her face as she stared at Liam, who had rubbed a white substance—god knows what it was—on his face and was making the most ridiculous face at his sister."Liam woke me up to that," Lisa said, pointing at Liam's face."You're such a baby," Liam replied with a grin, his whitened face spreading in horror."Liam, stop that," Lily said from behind Tina and Teressa.Lisa and Liam turned to see her step forward, just as Lisa jumped up and threw a piece of cloth at Liam's face."Ahhh, Lisa!" Liam exclaimed, narrowing his small eyes at his sister."You sho
"Oh, come on, I won't bite them," Lily teased with a smile as they waited for Teressa to respond."Uhm, I think it's a..." Teressa opened her mouth to say, but before she could finish her words, Lisa ran over to her and whispered in her ears.Teressa smiled, looking at Lisa and shaking her head as she looked up at Lily.Lily looked at Lisa's innocent expression and then at Teressa, who had an amused expression on her face too and raised her brow in question."What did she just say?" Lily asked."She says they need to go with you so you won't cry because you miss your daughter like they miss their dad," Teressa replied."Oh my," Tina murmured."Okay, how about we have that food, and then we all go over to my place with you included too, Teressa?" Lily said."Okay, I won't say no to that; well, I was not going to say no in the first place, actually," Teressa replied with a grin."Yeah!" Liam shouted, adding, "I'm going to bring my tab for videos and my favorite socks.""Me too," Lisa re
"Oh my god!" Anna exclaimed, her eyes almost buldging out of her socket."That's not Mummy," Lisa said, finally pushing through."Lisa, Liam, come back inside now," Lily called to them gently."Are those?" Anna murmured, pointing from Liam to Lisa.Liam grinned and replied, "I'm older, though."Teressa shook her head and said again, "Inside now, the both of you.""Oh my god! They are twins," Anna shouted.Jerry Philips stood there, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. These children were his grandchildren, but he had allowed all the hate and selfish reasons to deny him their knowledge."No, you're not," Lisa said, rolling her eyes.Tina stretched out her hand to them and pulled them both inside before turning to Jerry and Anna."Thank you for coming; we will get your message across to Laura when she gets back. It's best you get on your way now," she said.Lily turned into the room without saying another word to them while Tina stood there to ensure that they actually did board
"Hi, Tim, could you please get us two cups of..." Jason was saying this on the phone when he turned and saw the expression on Laura's face."Laura?" Jason asked, his brows furrowed in confusion as he looked at her. He dropped the phone as he moved away from the desk.Tim was left hanging on the phone as he continued to ask, "Cup of what?"Laura stood there motionless, the phone to her ears as she continued to stare at Jason."What is wrong?" Jason asked, dropping the phone and moving towards her."What did you just say?" Laura muttered quietly into the phone."Stay exactly where you are," Laura said into the phone after a few seconds of listening to whoever was speaking on the other end. She ended the call and walked abruptly to her bag."Laura?" Jason said, grabbing her by the right arm to halt her in her strides.At that moment, Tim walked into the office, his eyes darting from Laura to Jason as he said, "You didn't finish your statement," adding, "Is everything okay?"Jason looked
When Jason entered his suite, he found Shawn sitting there, making himself at home."Shawn?" Jason called out in surprise."Hey, little brother, I see you're back from showing your new interest around town," Shawn said, sipping a glass of wine."Isn't it too early to be an a**?" Jason asked, walking into the living room and falling face down on the couch.Shawn was casually dressed, and he had on his boot, which meant he had gotten to the suite not too long before Jason had entered."You should learn to relax, Jason; you're not going to stay in that office for long, so there's no point in putting in so much effort," Shawn muttered.Jason sat up and faced Shawn, his brows raised in question as he asked, "What are you doing here, Shawn? I won't bother to ask how you got in, but I'd like to know what exactly you want; I really don't have the time or energy for you this morning.""You really are worked up, it's what; say sevenish in the morning, and you're this grumpy," Shawn replied with
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