It had been one month since Chan had discovered she was pregnant, and since that day, she had moved into Sam’s room due to his insistence that he needed to take care of her when she was unwell, especially at night. Of course, she still had her own bedroom, a place where she could hang out when she needed it. Since that day, too, Sam had hired two new full-time household staff members: a maid to help Marian with the housework and a nanny to look after Lilly. Chan at first had protested about the nanny. After all, she could look after Lilly just fine, but then the morning sickness came, and she found she couldn’t even get out of bed.This morning, once again, the nausea came, and all she could do was to lie there in bed, groaning sickly.Sam rested on his elbow as he stroked her hair back from her forehead. “Do you need anything?”Chan shook her head. “I’ve just had some medicines, so I’ll be fine.” She gave him a weak smile. “I’m sorry, Sam.”“What for?”“This…” She sighed. “Me getting
It was six that evening when Dara and Soriya arrived, and not long after, Jeremy and Keith. The moment they finished reading their father’s letter, the sisters broke down. Soriya was so upset at the thought that their father had suffered so much before his death and that Amie had probably poisoned him that she just bawled her eyes out. Jeremy had to take her into his arms to comfort her. Mrs. Campbell had to take Lilly away so that the little girl wasn’t affected by the distraught scene. Once both Dara and Soriya had finished shedding their tears, Keith said to the girls, “This is an important piece of evidence. I know it’s hard for you girls right now, but I need to ask you a question. Do you want to pursue this?”Chan nodded. “Yes. There’s no doubt about it.”Dara said, “We want justice. If they really did poison Dad with the intention to kill him, then that’s attempted murder even though Dad did die from a car accident.”Keith nodded. “Although having this,” he raised the letter in
Both Chan and Soriya undid their seat belts and dashed out of the car, sprinting after the little pup.“We got it! We got it!” Soriya shouted as they went past the woman, who looked flustered. “Chan, you go to that side,” the sister directed.“Don’t scare it off,” Chan shouted. “Here, puppy. Here. Come here.”The pup came to a sudden stop the moment it noticed the sisters, and as they advanced toward it, closing in on it, the pup started barking hyperactively again. It sprinted to Chan and then stuck its tongue out, begging for her to pet it.Chan chuckled as she crouched down, her hand ruffling its furry brown head. “You’re so cute,” she said.Soriya went to pet the dog, too, and when it licked her hand, she chuckled. Then she picked it up in her arms, and the two sisters headed back toward its master.As they went around, Chan saw that Dara had switched off the engine of the car and was now out and helping the woman with her luggage. Meanwhile, the taxi driver was maneuvering his ca
Sam hadn’t expected his mother to turn up two weeks earlier than scheduled. It was so unlike her to change plans. She was a woman of routine, very much like him, so the fact that she suddenly appeared in front of the house the way Chan had described to him made Sam suspicious. It was customary, too, that whenever she came to visit, she’d expect him to pick her up from the airport, despite the hours-long drive, since she disliked public transport, and a taxi was the worst in her opinion. But this time, she had taken a taxi, and Sam couldn’t believe it.Switching off the engine of the car, he got out and propelled the door shut. Then he headed into the house. Jeremy, of course, wasn’t far behind, his car just driving into the courtyard of the estate.When he was in the living area, Sam spotted his mother out on the balcony, a glass of bubbly in her hand. When she saw him, she chuckled and had her arms wide open.“Sam, darling,” she said.Sam went forward and gave his mother a hug. “Hell
It had been a while since Chan had visited Grandma Su and her family. She had just been so busy since she had moved in with Sam that she hadn’t found any spare moment. She didn’t know if it was just a coincidence or that Grandma Su was psychic, but that Sunday Dara phoned her to tell her Grandma Su was coming around in the afternoon, not to the apartment, but to where she was living now at Sam’s mansion.Chan was just getting some refreshments ready, including a pot of green tea, when she heard a car driving into the courtyard of the house.She rushed to open the door and saw Dara, Soriya, and Grandma Su coming toward her. Soriya was carrying a medium-sized box in her arms.“Grandma Su,” Chan said as she went to greet the old woman.Grandma Su took a good look at her and then smiled. “My, do you look radiant, my dear.” She nodded. “You have two souls within you, and they are bright indeed. Beautiful. Simply beautiful.”Once again, Grandma Su spoke in riddles, and Chan was used to that
Chan had just reached her eleventh week of pregnancy, and today was her first ultrasound appointment. Naturally, she was nervous—so much so that she was shaking.Sam must have noticed her anxiousness because he said, “Everything is going to be fine.” He clasped his hand over hers to calm her down.From the back seat, Fran said, “Sam’s right. Everything is going to be fine.”Chan shifted her gaze to Fran. She couldn’t believe the woman had tagged along.She took a deep breath and then nodded. “You’re right. Everything is going to be fine.”A moment later, they got out of the car and headed into the hospital. In the waiting bay, Chan leaned toward Fran and asked, “Have you and Keith known each other a long time?”Fran said, “A while back. He used to live in New York but he moved back here ten years ago. He was a family lawyer before my husband passed away.”“Chandra Chandler,” an ultrasound technician called out.Chan turned. “Yes.” She stood at the same time Sam did, as well as Fran.T
The little party continued until well past Lilly’s bedtime, and once Mrs. Campbell had her ready for bed, Chan went to read to the little girl.“Chan?”“Hmm?”“Am I really getting two new siblings?”Chan chuckled. “Yes, you are.”The little girl grinned widely. “Then does it sound like Old Grandma said? She said two darlings, right?”Chan nodded. “She did.”Lilly widened her eyes. “Maybe Old Grandma can see the future?”Chan burst out laughing. “No, I don’t think that sort of thing is possible.”“But she got it right, though,” Lilly insisted.Chan stroked back Lilly’s hair and said, “You’re right, but let’s not think about that now. How about you go to sleep. You have school tomorrow.”Lilly nodded. “I love you, Chan.”“I love you, too, sweetie.” Chan leaned down and kissed the little girl on the forehead. “Good night.”“Night,” Lilly said and soon, she was fast asleep.A moment later, Chan left Lilly’s bedroom and returned downstairs as people were beginning to leave.At the door, Ke
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