Laura looked confused as she called out, "Hello Tim, is everything okay?"There was no answer, and then the call went off. They sat there, staring at the phone, hoping that nothing serious was happening at the office."We would be there in five minutes, ma'am," Matthew called out.Laura looked up and nodded, thankful that they were close."Whatever that was, I just hope it has nothing to do with the meeting," Laura stated."I hope so too," Audrey agreed."Okay, do we have any idea who is going to be at this meeting? I think I should have gotten a report on them," Lauara said."Humm, the majority of them work within the North Corporation. It's just a few that are external," Audrey explained."Okay, that sounds like I have a lot of people to convince," Laura muttered.Audrey smiled as she replied, "I'm sure you've got this.""Yeah, I hope so," Laura stated. All she wanted was for the whole thing to be over. She couldn't wait to get herself out of whatever would bring her close to Jason,
"Yes, Laura, a weighted voting, not that it is unusual, but it was not necessary for this meeting, not to talk about the fact that they also made the meeting open for the public, allowing even the media room to attend," Tim explained.Weighted voting simply implies that if more people with a high number of shares voted for you, then you could probably win since their vote was equivalent to the amount of their shares in percent."Really, and that decision was made at the last minute?" Audrey asked."Yes, it was; if we had known before now, we would have informed you of it," Tim explained."Wait a moment," Laura said, holding up her hand, before adding, "If Jason is the chairman, how is all this decision made without his knowledge?""Well, technically, I agreed for my position to be made permanent based on the decision from today's meeting, meaning anyone could add any details to this event even without asking me," Jason explained."That's an absurd reason," Laura replied."That's exact
"Why is that woman here?" Terry North muttered as soon as he saw who had spoken.Luke North looked back and saw her, his eyes darkening in anger as the media began to take pictures of her."Natasha North," Shawn murmured under his breath as Natasha walked to the front of the room.Laura saw the look on Jason's face and knew instantly that it was his mother. When she got to him, Laura stood up and said, "You're welcome, ma'am; you can have my seat."She turned and walked towards Lily, who had an empty seat beside her."That was thoughtful of you," Lily whispered as she sat down."I just thought it was the right thing to do," Laura replied.Over at Jason's seat, he stood up and said, "Thank you for coming, mom.""I'm only here because I know your father wouldn't want me to hide away at home and watch the coporation taken away," Natasha replied."Thank you all the same," Jason said.Natasha smiled and left him to go cast her own vote, after which the voting officially came to an end."Pl
Jason decided to treat his mother and Lily to dinner as a show of his appreciation for them."It's not everyday that we get to come to a fancy restaurant these days," Natasha muttered as a waiter passed them the menu."No, it's not everyday," Lily replied with a smile."I should pay more attention to you ladies; I promise to do better," Jason teased with a grin."More like you should get yourself a young lady to show attention," Lily replied, rasing her brows at him."He actually has one; uhm, what's her name again? The one you brought to the family dinner the other day," Natasha asked.Jason shook his head and replied, "We are no longer together, mom.""What? Why?" Natasha asked, surprised."It just didn't work out, mom; let's leave it at that," Jason replied."Humm, I see," Lily said, a knowing look on her face."To change the subject, it would have been nice if Luara was here," Jason said."I guess so; she really did amaze me today," Lily replied."I must say she is a rear gem for
"You assured me you were going to get me the position, uncle, but I guess I should not have trusted you," Shawn said to his uncle.Luke and Terry North had their shoulders squared in disappointment. It had been a bad day for them; to think that they now had to obey Jason's every bid without a word of complaint was the worst hell they could think of."You're not the only one who is affected by this, Shawn; maybe if you had not gone to Lily's place, then she would not have been too suspicious of that invite," Luke North blamed Shawn."I only went there to solicit for her help; how is that so bad? If she really does care about my father, then she should not discriminate between his children," Shawn stated.They were all sitting in Shawn's office, and Rita North was asking them to recount exactly what had happened."It's not something I want to talk about, Rita; you should have come early," Luke said."I need to know; that's the least you can do; I was not able to attend. So are you sayin
As Liam tried to pronounce the name, his hand went over the automatic pick-up touch pad on the phone."Hello," they heard the caller say.Laura quickly took the phone from him, ensuring to end the call in the process."Oh, oh, the call has ended; uhm, I'll call him back, Hunnie; don't worry," Luara told Liam.Liam was staring at his mother, wondering why she had moved so quickly, but after a second of not being able to come to a conclusion, he gave up."Okay, it was Uncle David," he said, turning back to join his sister to watch TV."Oh, uhm, okay," Laura said, smiling nervously."What was that about?" Audrey asked.Laura rasied her brow and asked, "What was what about?""I mean, you needed to see the look on your face when Liam picked up that phone," Audrey said."Oh, I just don't want him to drop the phone," Laura replied."Okay," Audrey said, not convinced in the least."Yeah, have a lovely night, Audrey," Laura said as she opened the door."You too," Audrey replied as she stepped
"Congratulations, Cousin," Vivian said, a wide grin on her face as Jason walked up to them."You didn't have to come here," Jason said as he hugged her.Tim got out of the car, grinning at the excitement on Vivian's face. She seemed to be the only member of the North family who was happy about Jason's new position."Uncle Jason, mummy said you're now the chairman; what does that mean?" Little Bobby said.Jason lifted him up and threw him in the air, causing Little Bobby to let out a scream just before Jason caught him again."Hey little man, I'll explain all that to you later; let's go in and get you something to eat," Jason replied."Okay," Lilttel Bobby said with a smile at the mention of food."I'm sorry I couldn't make it, but I'm sure I'm going to get an earful about it from my mother," Vivian said as they walked into the hotel, with Tim right behind."How do you feel?" Vivian asked.They were ushered into the private area, which Jason usually used when he visited the restaurant.
"Laura," Audrey called from the door, startling Laura from her thoughts.Laura's hand clicked down on the enter key before she knew it. Her eyes widened as she stared at the screen."Are you okay? Is something wrong with your laptop screen?" Audrey asked.Laura quickly shut her laptop and replied, "Uhm, nothing; thanks for the coffee; it is so thoughtful of you."Audrey didn't know why she sounded so jittery, but she handed over the cup to her and said, "I'll leave you to have a moment, and if there is any other thing for you to do, I'll let you know.""Thank you, Audrey," Laura replied, managing to give her a smile.Audrey nodded and headed out of the office, leaving Laura staring at her laptop. She had not made up her mind, at least not yet."I guess I truly am leaving town," Laura muttered as she stood up and walked over to the window.She had come back to the city with a lot of questions, and now she was leaving with the same questions unanswered.The vibrating sound of her phone h
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