They managed to get out of the restaurant without Ethan noticing Nikkita, and she sighed in relief. As they were strolling along the streets toward the hotel, they were chatting and laughing at the silly situation Nikkita was in, which of course, she didn’t appreciate.Soriya was, as usual, being her baby self and came to hook her arm around Chan’s. “Chan, can I have one of your scented candles Nikki gave you?”Chan laughed. “No, you may not.”“But why not?” She looked pleadingly at Chan with a puppy dog face. “Please?” She rested her head on her sister’s shoulder.Chan laughed. “All right.”“You’re spoiling her,” Dara said.Soriya poked out her tongue at her sister.“I can’t believe that was your boss, Nikki,” Ruby said. “I would have thought you’d be all over him, being you.”Actually, Nikki thought, Ruby’s right.She had been all over him, what with him being such a hunk and all, and most importantly, an Asian. It was her dream to date and wed an Asian hunk. But then the damn man h
For a week now, Sam had wanted to know if Jeremy had asked Chan out on a second date. Every time he opened his mouth to make the inquiry, however, he got interrupted, and it was driving him crazy. Then, of course, he chided himself for caring, for being too interested. After all, it was supposed to be none of his business.He took another sip of his beer, put it down, and relaxed back in his chair as he watched Jeremy on the other side of the lively, busy restaurant. His cousin was talking on his cell phone. A few seconds later, he hung up and returned to his seat with them. Sam wondered if he’d called Chan to finally ask her out for that second date.The restaurant was busy tonight. It was, after all, a Saturday night. No doubt, the bar next door was packed full of people as well.At their table, sitting beside Sam, was Nina, while opposite them was Jayden McCartney and Alec Hasting. At the head was Jeremy, who kept flicking his eyes to his cell phone.Jayden eyed Sam and cocked his
Sam and Alec turned in that direction as well, and they saw a group of women there, heading toward the bar area. Alex and Ruby were amongst them.The group of females was about to turn the corner when Alex caught Jayden watching them. She scurried over, and Jayden couldn’t help but want to pull her in his arms. Ruby saw her fiancé Alec as well and came over gleefully. Their friends, curious, followed behind.“Hi, Alec,” Ruby said. “I want you to meet my friends.”Alexandra came over to stand behind her husband’s chair and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders. Jayden, as comfortable as ever, stroked his wife’s hand and kissed her on the lips.Behind them, Soriya and Dara glanced at each other and snickered delightfully. Then they expected the same lovey-dovey performance from Alec and Ruby. They weren’t disappointed. Alec pulled Ruby into his arms and gave her a passionate kiss, at which Ruby scowled.“That’s enough, mister. We’re in front of my friends.”Alec just laughed it of
Sam didn’t know why he kept glancing at the entrance of the restaurant after the girls had left. Why he thought by keeping an eye in that direction he’d get a glimpse of Chan, he wasn’t sure.Beside him, Nina was bored stiff, and when the conversation went deeper into the business side of things, she’d had enough and excused herself.“I really must go,” she said. “I’ve got appointments tomorrow.”“Sure,” Sam replied, disinterested.Jayden and Alec waved her farewell.The fact was, as rude as it might sound, the men were quite relieved when she was gone. On that note, they relaxed and started joking around.It was a little while later when they were on the topic of football that Sam saw the young woman he wanted to see most at the door.Dressed in a white cocktail dress, her long hair done up into a loose bun, she was breathtaking. The moment he saw her, he wanted to walk right up, pull her into his arms, and kiss her passionately.She and the other young woman in a sexy black dress we
For the first time in years, Chandra just danced and didn’t think about anything. She was able to simply enjoy the moment. Nikkita was encouraging her to go along with the music, twisting and twirling her this way and that. Dara and Soriya were also having a blast, dancing their hearts out energetically. Georgina and Isabella were doing the same, while Alexandra and Ruby were sitting on the sidelines, watching them.It was a little later when Chan just couldn’t take it anymore. Gosh, she really needed some fresh air.She shouted to her friends and sisters, “I need to go.”Nikkita signaled that she couldn’t hear over the noise. “What?”“Bathroom,” Chan shouted again, pointing toward the door.“Oh.” Nikkita understood. “Want me to come?”Chan shook her head. “I’ll be back in a jiffy,” she said and waved at them to tell them she was going.Soriya shouted, “Don’t be too long.”Chan nodded in agreement and then excused herself through the many dancing bodies before her.“Sorry… Excuse me…
Chan was still deep in thought when, suddenly, she felt a warm, strong arm wrap around her back and another beneath her knees. Just as she looked up, she found herself airborne. She gasped out in fright, and in response, her arms flew to wrap around the muscular neck belonging to Lilly’s dad.She was shell-shocked for a moment, wondering if she was currently dreaming about such a situation.Sam glanced at her and gave her a smile. “Stop looking at me like that,” he said teasingly. “I’m not likely to leave a damsel in distress to fend for herself, now am I?”Chan licked her lips, her heart racing. “What are you doing? And where are you taking me?”“Taking care of that ankle of yours,” he said, heading toward the elevator. “Or would you rather not let me help you at all? From the look of things, you can’t even walk without crying out in pain.”Chan couldn’t protest his logical argument. “Thanks. But I don’t even know you.”He chuckled. “You know Lilly. That’s enough.”She swallowed. “Li
The phone rang, and Chan jumped back to reality.The sound did the same to Sam, and he shook his head. He couldn’t believe he’d wanted to seduce the innocent beauty here and now.Dammit! But he did promise himself he wouldn’t do anything with her tonight. Now? What was he thinking? But the sight of her body… it just made him lose his mind.He returned his attention to the first aid kit as Chan picked up her phone.“Hello?” she said, her eyes on Sam who now was wrapping a bandage around her ankle. He was firm and made sure the material was on tight.“Chan! Where the heck are you?” This came from Soriya. “We’re so worried; you’ve been gone so long. We’re like a search party here, looking everywhere.”Chan felt guilty for not telling her sisters and friends where she was. “Ah, so sorry. I sprained my ankle.”“What?” Soriya shouted.Chan grimaced at the loud voice in the phone, causing Sam to chuckle.“Sister?”She nodded. Then she wondered how he was able to guess. More importantly, how
Chandra woke up the next day to the greeting of bright, glaring daylight. She sat up, and instantly, dizziness enveloped her. She gritted her teeth and realized she had a splitting headache.“Shit!” she muttered under her breath, knowing she’d have to hurry up and take a pain killer; otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to function properly throughout the day.She shifted her body, and pain erupted from her ankle. That was when what had happened last night rushed back to her in full force.Her heart raced the moment she remembered Sam Harrington, the kiss in the club, and him with her in the elevator and in the office on the fortieth floor, which she now assumed was his.“Oh my God!” she murmured, a full blush creeping across her cheeks. She couldn’t believe it. Just couldn’t believe those things really had happened last night, that she kissed Sam Harrington, that he helped her with her sprained ankle.Slowly, she moved her legs up, being careful with the ankle. She tugged her knees under
A GOLDEN COIN FOR A NECKLACEA Random Thursday“This brings back memories,” Chan said as they strolled down the street, exploring the Thursday Night Market along Surfer Paradise.Holding Darany in his arms, Sam chuckled then said, “Mm-hmm. The first time I met you.”Chan nodded. Sam leaned toward her and then planted a light, gentle kiss on her lips, which made Chan blush.Chanlina, in Chan’s arms, said, “Daddy kissing Mommy.”Suddenly, Darany chanted excitedly, “Monkey! Monkey show!” He was pointing toward a thick crowd of people on the other side where a monkey was performing.“Isn’t that...” Chan left her sentence unfinished.Sam chuckled. “Yeah. Let’s go watch.”“Yay!” Darany put his little arms up in the air in excitement.Once they were amongst others in the crowd, watching the monkey doing cool Kung Fu moves, Darany tapped at his father’s shoulder. “Daddy. Rany wants down.”“All right, but don’t go running off,” Sam warned.The boy simply gave his father an adorable, toothy gri
Old Mr. Jones was entering a new phase in his life: rock bottom. He had just lost his job, his entire savings swiped from his bank account due to identity theft, and he was in over his head in debts. Today, like yesterday and the day before that, he considered ending it all. Then again, he always hit pause. He had his wife and granddaughter to think about, after all.Sometimes life just seemed to come at you, bringing bad luck after bad luck and disaster after disaster. Not only had his only child and her husband just died from a car accident, leaving their only eight-year-old girl with him and his wife, but the company he had worked for had laid him off, along with fifty others. A week later, his wife had a mild heart attack, freaking him out so much that he himself nearly had a heart attack. Then that same week, he found his bank savings had been drained, and he hadn’t a clue how since he hadn’t been withdrawing any money. A phone call to the bank confirmed that it was a case of ide
One Year LaterWhen Chan fluttered her eyes open, she smiled, and a sense of contentment and happiness coursed through her being. The morning sun was bright, filtering into the bedroom through the window. She lay there in bed for a moment, just enjoying the moment, basking in the peace and quiet as she gazed out the window, enjoying the view of the beach and ocean in the distance. When she finally moved and got out of bed, she went into the en suite and took a good, long shower. Done twenty minutes later and now dressed in a lovely floral sundress, she headed down the stairs.As she approached the living area, happy chatter reached her, and she knew literally everyone was in there. It was a Sunday, after all, and it was well past ten in the morning now.She came to a stop at the entrance of the room, her heart constricting with emotions. Yes, everyone was in here, all right. Fran was holding one of her little darlings, Chanlina, in her arms. The baby girl was cooing as Fran tickled th
By the time they arrived home, it was dark. Once Detective Liam put the car into park, Sam got out and then drew Chan to him. He picked her up in his arms and then carried her toward the house. Of course, everyone was already at the door waiting since Jeremy had phoned Dara to tell her they had found Chan and that she was safe and sound.The moment they spotted Chan, the sisters came rushing forward.“Chan, are you okay?” Soriya asked. She had clearly been crying hard. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were raw.Chan gave her sisters a weak smile. “I’m fine now.”Once they were in the living room, Sam placed her on the couch, and Fran immediately brought over a mug of hot chocolate for her. Chan gladly accepted it, her hands shaking. She began sipping eagerly as everyone gathered around the living room, Keith included, who was now talking to Liam and Jeremy.Though the crowd was keen to ask Chan questions about her ordeal, they knew she needed time to gather herself. Once she finished
Chan swallowed hard, her body tense, her gaze fixed on Dave in front of her. He, too, had his gaze fixed on her face, a dark smile on his lips.He said, “When I discovered your father was quite a wealthy man, despite his and your living conditions back then, he had his will drawn up with me as one of his witnesses, believe it or not.” He laughed. “He was that trusting. He was so gullible. In that will, he was going to give his daughters everything, and I knew I just couldn’t have that. I knew Lisa and Amie would agree, so I pitched a plan to them. Oh, they got freaked out at first, but then the hunger for money was just too overpowering for mother and daughter. In the end, they decided to do what I told them. I taught them how to lace Michael’s food with antifreeze. He got sick and must have caught on as to what was happening, but of course, we persisted. Needless to say, we failed the first few times. That bastard was hard to kill, I must admit. That, or Amie was lousy at concocting
Chan hadn’t a clue how long it had been since she had escaped Dave and Lisa’s clutches, but she knew it had been a while. The sun had moved farther to the west, so she knew it was late in the afternoon. By now, Sam would have notified the police and be on his way to get her, since she had turned on the tracking device a while back.Suddenly, she stopped, feeling exhausted. She had been on the run this whole time, now and again scanning behind and around her to ensure that she was not being followed.God, she had no idea where she was going, whether she was heading deeper into the bush or out toward the road. She hoped it was the latter because if she was heading deeper into the bush, it’d be harder and longer for Sam to find her, and she didn’t want that, not when the sun was going to set soon.She was thirsty, and her body was sweating profusely, but she dared not stop because she knew the moment she did, she’d shorten the distance between her and Dave, and when he found her, it’d be
Sam hadn’t a clue why but ever since that morning, he had been having this sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach, as if his instinct was telling him something bad was about to happen. Hence, he hadn’t been able to concentrate on his work, and he had kept phoning Chan every two hours or so to make sure she was fine. The last time he had contacted her, she had said she was going to pick Lilly up as Mrs. Campbell had to dash to the hospital to take care of her husband.Everything was going to be fine, he told himself. Then again, why the heck wasn’t this bad feeling going away?“You okay, Sam?” Jeremy, who was sitting across from him, asked.Sam nodded. “Yeah,” he said distractedly.Jeremy shook his head. “You’re not fine. You look like you have something on your mind. Chan? The court cases?”Sam was about to tell Jeremy to stop prodding when his cell phone rang. It was his mom.He quickly picked up.“Sam.” Fran’s panicky voice came from the other side of the line, and Sam was imme
Chan knew exactly what type of talking they intended to do. They’d threaten her, like they always do, and she suspected that it had something to do with her father and the will. They must have been informed about Chan and her sisters contesting the will for the second time, now with new evidence and another set of new wills, and of course, them being suspects of the attempted murder of her father.Chan shut her eyes for a moment, doing her best to stay calm. Her mind, however, continued to race, working on how best to deal with this situation.Within five minutes, Lilly would finish school. When no one came to pick her up, one of the teachers would notice and they’d phone home. Fran or Marian would then contact Sam, and he’d suspect something had happened to her. When either Marian or Fran came to get Lilly, they’d likely spot her car parked three blocks down from the school, and of course, Danny in it.Oh, God, she hoped the little pup was all right. It was hot, and she hoped he woul
It had been a week since Chan and her sisters had the meeting with Keith and Liam, and since that day, the two men had advised her and her sister to be vigilant, in case Amie, Lisa, and Dave tried to make contact. Chan knew just what sort of contact the two men were referring to. She had doubt Amie would be able to track her and her sisters down since they had moved, but it was a good idea to be cautious nonetheless. Hence, she had avoided going out alone unless it was necessary and spent most of her time in the house, working on her next book, like she was doing now.“Chan?” Mrs. Campbell’s voice drew her attention away from her work. “Chan?”Chan got up from her seat and then opened the door of her office. She was coming down the stairs when she spotted Mrs. Campbell along the corridor. She noted the woman looked a little flustered.“What is it, Charlotte?” she asked, concerned.“Do you mind picking Lilly up from school this afternoon?” the woman asked. “Ian just called. He’s at the