“You have no idea how much I always look forward to this every month,” Felicity sighed. “The only thing that comes close to this is our spa dates.”
“It’s a good thing you mentioned that,” said Ming Lee. “I won’t participate in this month’s group spa date. Theodore and I are traveling to Dubai for a week. We’re going there for some sort of business convention for insanely rich people.”
Felicity, Dione, and Duchess all laughed at Ming Lee’s crass comment, while Phoebe sighed and Penelope rolled her eyes.
“We won’t miss you much, now that Kate is here. She’ll fill your spot,” said Dione.
“Excellent suggestion,” Duchess agreed quickly. “You will join us for the group spa date, won’t you? It’s next week.”
Kate thought quickly and said, “Oh, I’m sorry, I can’t. I’m traveling with Tony next week.
When Kate got home, Fredrick told her that Tony was in the library. She marched there and found him reclining on his favorite wing backed chair, reading Twelfth Night by Shakespeare.“Oh, you’re back,” he said cheerfully when he saw Kate. However, when he noticed her sour countenance, he became worried.“What happened?” He asked her.“Duchess happened!” Kate replied irritably. “She invited me to that dumb tea party just to humiliate me.”Kate went on to tell Tony everything that happened during the high tea, including the rude comments made by Penelope Green, and the general atmosphere of pure disrespect in the gathering.“I am so sorry you experienced that,” Tony said sympathetically. “I’ll have a word with Duchess about it tomorrow.”“No, please don’t,” Kate said quickly.“Why not?” Tony asked her. “She owes you an
“This is amazing…” Kate said in awe.“I agree,” Tony said while watching her with an indulgent smile on his face.When they landed in Toronto, they were picked up by a chauffeur-driven Porsche Taycan.“When did you arrange all of these?” Kate asked Tony as they were driven to the restaurant.“While you were getting dressed,” he answered her with a smile.“You’re like a magician,” said Kate. “You snap your fingers and things happen.”Tony simply laughed. When they arrived at the restaurant, they were ushered in through the back entrance where the owner of the place was waiting to greet them.He led them through the kitchen and up to the second floor of the restaurant where a private dining room had been set up for Tony and Kate in the VIP lounge.After they were seated at their table, Kate leaned forward and whispered to Tony, “This is cra
Tony was livid after Athena left. He marched straight to his study to call Duchess on the phone and give her a piece of his mind.He was so angry that Kate could hear his voice through the closed door. She’d never heard him raise his voice on anyone like that before.When Tony came out of his study, he still looked irritated. Kate didn’t know whether to speak to him or just quietly head upstairs, so as not to annoy him further.“Sorry about that,” he said apologetically. “I promise you, if that woman ever comes near you again, I’ll have her arrested for harassment.”“Which woman? Your daughter?” Kate ventured.Tony chuckled and said, “Of course, not. I was talking about Duchess Ryland.”“I knew you were,” said Kate with a chuckle. And then her expression became sober.“Thank you for sticking up for me,” she said softly.“Don’t
Suddenly, a thought occurred to Kate. Maybe Tony had gone out for a walk like he did with his mother in Brazil. That must be it!Kate ran back into her suite to grab a coat. It was a cold morning and she didn’t want to catch a chill outside.She hurried downstairs and came face-to-face with Adonis. For once, his muscled chest was covered. He was dressed in a sweater under a black leather jacket and black corduroy pants.“Hello, Sugar Baby. Long time no see,” Adonis said flatly.“Good morning, Adonis,” Kate greeted him calmly.“Where is my father?” He asked her.“I don’t know,” she answered.“I beg your pardon?” said Adonis.“Kate! There you are,” Phoebe exclaimed, hurrying toward the stairs.Kate glared at Fredrick who was practically chasing down the unwanted visitor.“She wouldn’t leave,” he explained apologetic
Kate had never freaked out this much in her life. She screamed Tony’s name and shook him violently to no avail. Adonis yelled at her to stop but she ignored him.Kate’s wailing eventually drew the attention of the domestic staff, who all came running to find out what was going on.With their help, Tony was carried out of the mansion into Adonis’ weird-looking Bugatti. According to him, it would take the ambulance forever to arrive at the house, so driving Tony to the hospital was faster.Unfortunately, the vehicle was too cramped to fit Tony in the back seat.“This is a very impractical car,” Kate complained. “Why on earth would you buy such a tiny vehicle that squishes its passenger inside?”“Well, forgive me for not considering using it for an emergency trip to the hospital when I bought it,” Adonis retorted sarcastically.“Ugh!” Kate groaned impatiently and asked the staff
Adonis’ phone rang again. He answered the call and said, “We’re sitting at the emergency unit.”“Who is that?” Kate asked him after he hung up.“Athena,” he answered without looking at Kate.His sister showed up just then, dressed casually in a hoodie, denim, and a pair of white sneakers. Her face was free of makeup, making her look much younger.“Where is he?” She asked Adonis.“In the emergency room,” he answered. “The doctors are still trying to revive him.”“I think you should call Doctor Maxwell and let him know what’s going on right now,” Kate suggested to Adonis.“He knows your dad’s medical history and he might provide some useful insights to those doctors in there,” she added.“How did you know Doctor Maxwell?” Adonis asked in surprise.“Do what she said,” Athena ordered
“What is it, Tony?” Kate asked fearfully.“I have a tumor in my brain,” Tony announced gravely.Kate gasped and covered her mouth with her palm. She withdrew her other hand from Tony’s and leaned back in her chair.“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about it before,” Tony continued sadly. “I’ve been doing so well for months that I thought I was recovering.”“Oh, my goodness,” Kate gasped. “Tony, how could you keep something this serious a secret from me? Was this why you married me? So, you can die suddenly and make me a young widow?”“No, Kate. Believe me, that was not my intention,” Tony explained.“Do your children know about it?” Kate asked him.“No, and I do not intend to tell them,” Tony said firmly.“Why not?” Kate asked.“Because they would convince the board of directors
Kate went back to sit on the chair and faced Tony with a serious expression on her face.“What now?” She asked him softly.“Now, I want to do everything humanly possible to stay alive and be with you,” Tony replied tenderly. “Please, don’t leave me Kate. I don’t want to be alone anymore.”Kate’s heart broke when she saw how upset Tony was. His eyes had glazed over with unshed tears.Kate took Tony’s hand in hers again and stroked it gently. Even though it had been shocking to find out about his medical condition, the thought of leaving him hadn’t crossed her mind.She may not love him, but she cared about him very much and she wasn’t going to abandon him in such a vulnerable state.“I won’t leave you,” Kate assured Tony. “You are a good person, but flawed like everyone else. That’s no excuse for me to leave you.”Tony smiled and
That dinner marked a significant turning point in their relationship as a family. They had breakfast and dinner together as often as possible and spent quality time with each other whenever they could.Athena spoiled Nathan with all kinds of posh toys, while Adonis coached the baby on how to take his first steps at the age of ten months.When the Thanksgiving season rolled in, they packed up and traveled to Brazil to spend it with the family matriarch.Adele DaCosta was beyond surprised when she saw them when they arrived in the plush DaCosta residence in Cidade-ilha. She was especially shocked to see how friendly Athena and Adonis were with Kate, because she’d been told about how much they despised her not too long ago.“How did you make this happen?” Adele asked Tony discreetly in Portuguese as they made their way into the family home.“I didn’t do anything, she did,” Tony responded with a knowing smile. &ldquo
The result of Tony’s brain mapping test came in the following week as scheduled. He was so afraid to open the envelope, so he went to meet Kate in the game room where she and Nanny Ella were playing with Nathan.As soon as Nathan saw Tony, he crawled on his hand and knees toward his father, giggling happily.Tony scooped up the baby and blew raspberries on his neck. Nathan laughed excitedly, flailing his arms and legs as he did.“My little pumpkin,” Tony gushed and kissed Nathan. “What have you been up to, my boy?”Nathan responded in baby talk, displaying one tiny white tooth in his lower gum. He tried to grab at the envelope in Tony’s hand but Tony wouldn’t let him.“What’s that?” Kate asked Tony.“It’s the test result,” he answered.Kate’s eyes widened. “What does it say?” She asked.“I don’t know. I haven’t look
Kate spent the night beside Tony in the hospital, while Charles, Adonis, and Athena returned to the DaCosta mansion. They explained the evening’s incident as a robbery attempt gone wrong.The police grilled the caterers and the rest of the vendors contracted for the party to find out how Marshall managed to get himself employed for the gig. They denied ever meeting Marshall or employing him for the job.Investigations later revealed that he’d found out about the party from Penelope whom he’d reached out to shortly after Agne’s remembrance. He’d told her that he’d been out of the country for years but was back now, and would love to see Agne’s grave and pay his last respects.Penelope, a hopeless romantic, decided to help Marshall find closure by telling him to show up to the DaCosta residence as a waiter. He’d somehow managed to slip in with the caterers and even worked the party, while bidding his time to strike.
As Tony had predicted, his injury wasn’t very serious. He was wheeled into surgery to have the bullet removed before getting transferred to a private ward to recover.When Kate and the others piled into his room to see him, he was very coherent and in high spirits.“Any news on that lunatic that tried to kill me?” He asked Charles.“The police have him cuffed to his bed,” Charles responded. “Once he’s discharged, he’ll be hauled off to jail where he belongs. Kidnap, attempted murder, and possession of an unlicensed firearm would keep him there for a long time.”“Is anyone finally going to tell me who that man is?” Athena asked.Tony exchanged a worried glance with Charles before looking at Adonis who looked dazed. Kate was sitting beside Tony on his bed with his fingers intertwined with hers.“Well?” Athena demanded.Tony sighed wearily and said, “I wo
Coming out of the woods was like stepping into another dimension. Kate’s family and the rest of the party guests were milling around behind a police barricade.When they saw two gurneys being carried to the waiting ambulances with Tony on one of them, everyone went into a frenzy. Athena broke through the barricade and ran towards her father.“Daddy, are you OK?” She screamed frantically. “What happened? You’re bleeding. We heard gunshots. Who is that man?”“It’s alright, darling. I’m fine,” Tony assured her but his voice came out slurred.“But what happened? What were you all doing in the woods?” Athena demanded.“Give him a break, Athena. I’ll explain everything to you later,” Adonis said sharply.She glared at him and asked, “What the hell happened?”While that exchange was going on, Kate was getting hugged by her family who wanted
As Marshall continued his walk toward the chapel door, Kate crept out of her hiding place while still crouching. He heard her coming and fired in her direction.The bullet whizzed past Kate and shattered the middle of the wooded pillar that had been her hideout only seconds ago. The next thing she heard was a grunt as Tony launched himself at Marshall and they both landed on the floor.A fierce wrestling match ensued in the dark. Marshall fired his pistol again and the bullet punctured a hole in the chapel roof. In the tussle, Tony somehow managed to knock the gun out of his opponent’s hand.“You came back for a rematch, didn’t you?” Tony asked and planted his fist in Marshall’s cheek.“You bastard!” Marshall growled and kneed Tony’s belly, knocking the wind out of him.“Dad!” Adonis yelled from outside.“Hit the lights,” Tony yelled back. Adonis stepped into the chapel and switched on the lights.The chapel was immediately flooded wi
With shivering limbs, Kate walked toward the woods ahead of her captor. They could hear the distant sound of the stringed quartet playing in the sunroom.Kate wondered how long it would take for Tony and the others to notice her prolonged absence. She hoped it would be soon, before this crazy man killed her for a crime she didn’t commit.“Walk faster,” he snarled at her from behind.“Where exactly are we going?” Kate asked him without looking back.“To Agnes’ gravesite,” Marshall responded. “I learned that it is located behind the small chapel that her hypocrite of a husband built in her honor. What a stupid clown he is.”“How did you know about the chapel?” Kate wondered.Marshall snickered. “I know a lot of things about the DaCostas. I’ve had over two decades to keep tabs on them.”Kate didn’t know if this conversation would be useful eve
As a treat to their special guests, Kate and Tony organized a more intimate party in the sunroom. It was cleverly lit with accent lights that looked like big fireflies.The Huckleys, the Wilcoxes, Kate’s family, Adonis and Athena along with their plus ones, and few of Tony’s close friends made the cut. Penelope and her clique of friends had since left with the rest of the other guests.“Thank you all for agreeing to spend this evening with me and my lovely wife,” Tony addressed everyone. “We have our guest house prepped and ready for anyone who choses to sleep over. I promise, you’ll find your suites very comfortable and refreshing.”“I can attest to that,” said Kate’s dad and everyone laughed.The party kicked off with exotic finger foods, cocktails and champagne, while a string quartet played some soulful music for some of the guests to waltz to.Kate and Tony joined in the waltz too. Ou
The party was already in full swing when the Kate returned. Once Tony spotted her, he hurried to her side with a questioning look in his eyes.“Who was it?” He asked her.“Kevin,” Kate responded shortly. “He tried to blackmail me and wring some money out of me.”Tony became instantly furious. “How dare he come here? What on earth gave him the courage to come to our home?”Kate put a hand on Tony’s arm to calm him. “It’s alright, my love. He’s gone. I warned him not to do anything stupid or else I would have him arrested and charged accordingly.”Tony wasn’t satisfied with that response. “How did he know to show up today? Do you think it was a coincidence that he just happened to show up here tonight?”“Maybe not,” Kate responded speculatively. Her eyes were already scanning the crowd to find the likely culprit who might be responsible