Kate labored a couple more hours before the moment of truth finally came. The birthing pain was excruciating.
With determination and Tony’s loud encouragements, Kate finally pushed out her baby into the waiting arms of the midwife.
The infant came out screaming at the top of his lungs and flailing his tiny limbs. Tony was in awe of this incredible sight. A huge ripple of relief spread throughout Kate’s body.
Her baby was brought to her and placed on her chest. Kate looked down at her baby and saw the angry face of Kevin.
It seemed God had not answered Kate’s prayers. Her son had come out of her womb with what she regarded as the wrong skin tone. The boy even had little tufts of golden brown, almost blond hair, on his tiny head.
Kate looked up at Tony and tears of frustration clouded her eyes. He knew why she was upset. He’d already seen the midwife and nurse exchanging curious glances before passing the baby to Kate.
Kate and Tony managed to make it out of the hospital with their baby before the news of the child’s birth got leaked to the press.Once that happened, Tony’s phone began to buzz with calls from friends and acquaintances who wanted to confirm the news and congratulate him.Kate had already informed her parents about the birth of her baby. They were elated and wanted to know the baby’s name.“We haven’t decided yet,” said Kate. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I’m a mom now. I haven’t fully processed it yet.”“I understand how you feel,” her mother said brightly. “It might seem a bit scary at first, but with time, you’ll get used to being responsible for the wellbeing of a little human. You’ve got this, Kate. Don’t worry.”Kate silently hoped her mother was right.“Send us a photo of the little guy,” her
“Yes?” Tony said curtly when he came face-to-face with Athena at the door. He was mildly surprised to see Charles with her.“Oh, so you’re in there with your wife,” Athena said bitingly. “What took you guys so long to respond? Are you already working on creating another baby so soon?”“Shouldn’t you be at work right now?” Tony asked her with a frown. “Where is your brother?”“As the famous question goes, am I my brother’s keeper?” Athena responded and laughed at her clever joke.Tony ignored her and looked at Charles. “Hello, buddy. What are you doing here?”“Athena practically dragged me here to see Baby DaCosta with her,” said Charles. “So, how does it feel to be a dad again?”Tony’s expression softened. “It feels exhilarating,” he said.“Was that how you felt when I was born?” A
Kate and Tony decided to have a small christening ceremony for the baby the day before Kate’s 26th birthday.Her parents had just arrived in Chicago and were been driven to the house alongside brother and his family.When they arrived, Kate and Tony met them at the front door to welcome them in. Laura could not hide her awe and gushed about how absolutely beautiful the DaCosta mansion was.John on the other hand tried to play it cool, but Kate could tell that her father was impressed too. Chris and Rita were equally blown away by the sheer opulence of the DaCosta property.“You didn’t tell me you lived in a palace,” Chris whispered to Kate humorously.“Don’t be silly,” Kate laughed and embraced her brother. “Thank you for coming.”“Sure. It feels good to take a few days from work and experience a change of scenery,” said Chris.As Tony led the Harrisons into
“What’s going on here?” Adonis asked crossly.“Adonis, come in and say hello to Kate’s family,” Tony invited his son jovially. “They just flew in today from Wyoming for your little brother’s christening.”Adonis stared daggers at his father. “I don’t have a little brother,” he said tightly.“Athena told me that this woman is trying to pass off her bastard child as yours,” Adonis added.“My son is not a bastard,” Kate said sharply and rose to her feet. “Mind how you speak about my child.”“Or else, what?” Adonis challenged her.“Can you at least show some respect in the presence of our guests?” Tony asked Adonis.“I don’t give a rat’s ass about your guests,” Adonis retorted rudely. “How can you allow this woman to continue to humiliate you like this? Do you even know what peop
“Have you lost your mind?” Kate snapped at Adonis. “Why did you drag me in here?”Adonis ignored Kate’s outburst and locked the door behind him. He put the key in his pocket and turned around to face Kate. He was smirking now.“What exactly do you think you’re doing?” Kate asked him suspiciously.“Let’s just cut to the chase and do what you came here for, Kate,” Adonis said confidently. “I know you’ve wanted me from Day-One, Kate. I’ve caught you checking me out too many times not to know what you want. Let’s just do it now and get it out of the way.”“You bastard!” Kate sneered and swung her hand upward to slap Adonis.He caught her wrist before her palm could connect with his left cheek. With a vice-like grip, he pulled her to him until she was crushed against his chest.“I’m going to be the one to tame you, you wild minx
“I’m not going to keep sneaking around with you, Kate,” he said seriously as if he meant what he was saying. “It’s time for my father to know the truth about us.”“Stop it!” Kate screamed at Adonis in frustration. “I know you hate me, but to try and hurt your father like this, is beyond cruel. Stop it.”“No, Kate. What you are doing is cruel,” Adonis countered. “How can you keep deceiving my father like this? Have you no conscience?”“What is going on here?” Tony cut in. “Why are the two of you speaking in riddles?”“Nothing is going on,” Kate answered him hastily. “I came up here to talk to Adonis about his behavior earlier in front of my parents, but instead of listening to me, he dragged me into his suite and tried to force himself on me.”Adonis roared with laughter.“Seriously?” He aske
“Have you lost your mind?” Kate snapped at Adonis. “Why did you drag me in here?”Adonis ignored Kate’s outburst and locked the door behind him. He put the key in his pocket and turned around to face Kate. He was smirking now.“What exactly do you think you’re doing?” Kate asked him suspiciously.“Let’s just cut to the chase and do what you came here for, Kate,” Adonis said confidently. “I know you’ve wanted me from Day-One, Kate. I’ve caught you checking me out too many times not to know what you want. Let’s just do it now and get it out of the way.”“You bastard!” Kate sneered and swung her hand upward to slap Adonis.He caught her wrist before her palm could connect with his left cheek. With a vice-like grip, he pulled her to him until she was crushed against his chest.“I’m going to be the one to tame you, you wild minx
“I’m not going to keep sneaking around with you, Kate,” he said seriously as if he meant what he was saying. “It’s time for my father to know the truth about us.”“Stop it!” Kate screamed at Adonis in frustration. “I know you hate me, but to try and hurt your father like this, is beyond cruel. Stop it.”“No, Kate. What you are doing is cruel,” Adonis countered. “How can you keep deceiving my father like this? Have you no conscience?”“What is going on here?” Tony cut in. “Why are the two of you speaking in riddles?”“Nothing is going on,” Kate answered him hastily. “I came up here to talk to Adonis about his behavior earlier in front of my parents, but instead of listening to me, he dragged me into his suite and tried to force himself on me.”Adonis roared with laughter.“Seriously?” He aske
“Your boyfriend is Matt Carter?” Kate asked in shock.“Yes,” Wendy answered confidently. “And before you go off on me, I know he used to date your husband’s daughter, but they’ve broken up, OK?”“Is that what he told you?” Kate asked.“Yes,” said Wendy. “They broke up right after they returned from her birthday trip in Saint Tropez. Trust me, he’s single and I’m his girl.”Kate wasn’t keeping up with Athena’s love life, but this turn of events didn’t sit well with her at all. It was such an uncomfortable coincidence that her best friend was now dating Athena’s ex-boyfriend. It was indeed unsettling.“That’s kind of weird though,” said Kate. “I mean, of all the people you could have bumped into at that party, it had to be Matt Carter.”Wendy’s expression changed. “What do you mean by
Their five-day stay in Beaver Island was the best honeymoon Kate could have ever imagined. She and Tony made love at any opportunity they got.Kate was surprised by Tony’s stamina. When she jokingly made a comment about it, he told her he’d been celibate since Agnes’ death and that was probably why he was so sexually charged. Kate was impressed.When they returned to Chicago, she took Tony’s advice and started seeing a therapist to help her cope with postpartum depression. Her relationship with Nathan had improved a little, now that he was learning to sit and interact with everyone more.Athena and Adonis steered clear of the mansion but made sure to keep Tony informed on their progress with the family business. Kate didn’t mind their absence at all. In fact, she loved it and secretly hoped that it would be that way for a very long time.Tony practically spent all of his time at home with Kate and Nathan. He only left them fo
Tony’s birthday dinner was an elaborate affair unlike what Kate expected. Even though both of them were the only diners, Chef Yuto and his team who came with him treated the DaCostas to a delectable 5-course dinner.The patio had been decorated with strings of accent lights that cast a soft glow around them. Fresh flowers with green leaves were braided along the arches and pillars that surrounded the patio.Long white candles on gold-colored candlesticks lined the table from one end to the other. There were also fresh flowers with green leaves artfully arranged on the table.To top it off, Tony had invited an award-winning violinist to serenade them as they enjoyed their exquisite meals. It was indeed the stuff fairytales were made of.“This has been the most romantic night I’ve ever experienced,” Kate told Tony. “It feels surreal.”“That’s the whole idea,” Tony said with a pleased smile. &ldquo
Just before leaving the house for the yacht cruise, Tony received an email from Athena wishing him happy birthday. The email also included a non-apology about the scandal with zero accountability for her actions.“Well, that’s disappointing,” Tony commented after reading the email.“What is?” Kate asked him. He showed her the email and she too was disappointed by the content.“Don’t allow this to spoil your day,” Kate said sympathetically.“It won’t,” Tony said confidently.Tucking his phone away in his pocket, he joined Kate, Nanny Ella, and baby Nathan in the back seat of the glossy red Cadillac Escalade-V. Their bodyguard, Philip, was seating in front beside the driver.Once the family was settled in, the driver started the car and drove smoothly out of the DaCosta Estate. They were followed by a Range Rover Sport carrying the second bodyguard, Rayce, and two domestic staff
“Did you mean what you said about us taking a trip out of town?” Kate asked Tony as they headed towards the sunroom together.“Yes,” he answered with a smile. “We don’t have to travel too far. I just want us to have a change of scenery for a few days and fully recover from this madness that my stupid children brought on us.”Kate chuckled but sobered up almost immediately. “I hope you don’t intend to actually disown them. Please, don’t let your relationship with them collapse to that extent.”“I won’t disown them,” Tony said sagely. “I’m just so disappointed in them… I don’t have the right words to describe just how hurt I am. They put their emotions over family values. What kind of people are they? Athena did not even think to apologize for what she did. Instead, she was hellbent on defending her vindictive actions.”Kate could feel Tony&rsq
The days following the phot leak were nothing short of crazy. Both the mainstream media and social media platforms dished out multiple hot takes on the matter.Kate was labeled as the cunning young woman who seduced an elderly billionaire to marry her while pregnant with another man’s child. Tony was called a senile old man who let lust blind him until he fell for the conniving Jezebel he married.Some press people even had the audacity to camp outside of the DaCosta property, shouting out questions to nobody in particular. Tony eventually called the police to get rid of them after enduring the madness for two days.He’d also summoned his children to come to the house for an important family meeting, but they’d both been conveniently out of the country on some extended business trips.Kate’s family called her as soon as the news reached them and she assured them that she was OK even though she wasn’t. The same scandal that se
Kate’s family returned to their homes five days later. It had been a rather enjoyable period for Kate. But with everyone gone, she was forced to confront her struggle of bonding with her child.Athena and Adonis have been noticeably absent from the DaCosta mansion since their last cameo appearance (according to Tony). Their absence didn’t bring Kate relief, but instead, made her edgy.She could feel it in her bones that the siblings were up to no good. Additionally, the possibility that Duchess may already know about Nathan, bothered Kate seriously.“I think we should travel to Brazil soon, so that Mȃe can finally meet our baby,” Kate suggested at dinner one evening.Tony gave a curious look. “What’s the hurry? The poor boy is barely a month old. He’s not fit to go on such a long trip.”“I’m not saying we should go right now,” Kate argued.Tony chuckled. “A trip abroad s
Kate’s party was a fun gathering comprising of her family and a surprise visit from her Aunt Lauretta. She was a younger, taller version of Kate’s mother.“I was mad as hell when I heard you got married and didn’t invite me,” she told Kate as soon as she was welcomed into the DaCosta home.“But when I found out who you married, my anger disappeared instantly,” Lauretta continued brightly. “You have all of my blessings, darling.”Kate giggled. “Thank you, Aunt Lauretta,” she said happily. “And thank you for coming to my party on such short notice. This is the best gift I’ve gotten today.”“You flatter me,” Lauretta laughed. “So, where is your baby?”Kate’s mood sank. She hated that she always felt this way each time someone asked about her baby.“He’s taking a nap upstairs,” Kate answered. “And speaking of
“About time,” Tony said in response to Kate’s request for a dialogue. He led her to his study, sat quietly behind his desk and waited for her to begin.“First of all, I want to apologize to you for lying to you and going to confront Adonis,” Kate started. “And second, I am sorry for putting us in a very embarrassing situation in front of your son.”Tony simply nodded his head to acknowledge Kate’s apologies.“With that said, let me be very clear on this, Tony. I have never ever cheated on you and I never will,” Kate declared sincerely. “Everything Adonis accused me of were outright lies.”“Did you ever give him a reason to think that you were interested in him?” Tony asked her.“No. Quite the opposite,” Kate stated firmly. “He made a pass at me the first week I came to this house, and I made it clear to him that I would not take it lightly if