“Mommy, can we go out and Play?” Coco asked as she looked at her mother who was clearing the table after lunch. ‘‘No!’’ The answer came so swiftly. “Mommy!” Coco complained. “I feel like I have been locked up in this house forever.”Ever since they came from vacation, their mommy had never let them play outside. She was feeling bored and frustrated about that thing. She wanted to go out and enjoy the beach with her friends. Moreover, she didn't even play with Billy because her mother said Billy couldn't come inside the house. “Why are you saying this?” Roseanne looked at her daughter and said, “You went to school. I took you to your favourite ice cream parlour. We even went to the mall to have fun.”Coco said, “Mommy, we do not go anywhere when we come home. You do not even let us go to the beach!” She was so frustrated with her mother that she wanted to throw a tantrum like Leon always did but since she had an image of a good girl she had to maintain that. “Mommy, I want to go ou
The car stopped all of a sudden before it could hit the girl or the cat. Leon heaved a sigh of relief as he saw that Coco was not hit by the car. With the car stopping, a possible tragedy was prevented. In that tense moment, it seemed like a close call with death, but fate was kind. A woman came out of the car as she realized that she narrowly avoided a disaster by pressing the brakes. She saw a familiar-looking cat and a young girl fall on the ground. She was so scared that she had hit the girl. Thankfully, she was able to press the brakes on time or else something unforgivable would have happened to her. “Are you alright?”She asked but the girl didn't respond to the question about her well-being.After some time, a boy rushed over and started assisting the girl to stand up. “Are you okay, Coco?" the boy inquired, but the frightened girl couldn't muster a response, likely due to the shock her brain had experienced. Coco tried to stand up but she was unable to due to the pain in her
“Do you all know each other?”Leon quickly answered, “I don't know him.”He had no relationship with Nicholas Hart and would not like to be associated with him in any way. “What about your sister?” Ellora asked him the question. It seemed that Coco and her son were quite close to each other. Leon sighed and answered, “She is dumb and claims that he is her friend.”If only his sister had an idea that he was such a bad person and she should not be closer to that bad man. “That cannot be true..”Ellora muttured. Is Nicholas being friends with a little girl? It was very hard for her to believe. She was surprised that her son was even capable of being nice to a child. He had always kept himself away from children. Leon said, “But she does not listen to me. She is not the bright one.”Ellora nodded her head. “What's your name, kid? You are pretty smart for your age.”Leon said very respectfully, “Thank you, mam. My name is Nathaniel but you can call me Leon.”He liked it when people didn
As the kids arrived home, they found Roseanne still deep in slumber. Silently, they tip-toed through the house while ensuring not to disturb her sleep. If she woke up, she would know that they went outside the home and caused some trouble. Luckily, they got away with their mischief without getting caught or in trouble. When Roseanne woke up, she found the kids seated on the sofa in the living room and watching TV. It didn't feel like they left the home. She saw that they had completed their homework and took some snacks from the kitchen as she could see a bowl nearby. Roseanne yawned as she greeted her children, “Hey, babies.”Leon and Coco said at the same time, “Hi, mommy.”Inside, they were nervous but they played it off cool because if they showed fear, they would immediately get caught in their act. Roseanne said to them, “I fell asleep while you were doing homework. I am sorry for that.”Leon said to his mother, “It's okay, mommy. We also fall asleep so many times while you a
The next morning. Nicholas saw his mother washing the car and vibing to music. It was unlike his mother but then he recalled that she was in her rebellion era. She was doing everything that she didn't usually do. “Mom, what are you doing?” Nicholas asked his mother. The music was so loud that his ears were going to burst and she was doing it all in the middle of the lawn. Soon, the neighbours were going to come and complain. “What do you think?” Ellora asked her son as she threw the bucket of water on the car window. Nicholas reminded her, “You will disturb the whole neighbourhood with such loud music.”“Oh?” She acted as if it was any of her business or why should she care about it? Nicholas told her, "We are not in the US.”Ellora did not care. She would do what she liked and nobody could stop her. “Where will you be going?” Nicholas asked his mother. Ellora happily told her, “Oh, I have plans.”“May I ask what they are?” Nicholas asked. “You know that little boy?” Ellora b
Rose Anne had finally opened the cafe. She felt relieved when she began going to her cafe. Days became easier to pass. The incident with the cafe and then with Nicholas had taken quite a toll on her body. Thankfully, the person who ruined it helped to restore it too. Although she felt weird about the whole scene but accepted the help. Maybe, it was Nathaniel who had something to do with it. She was just happy that she finally opened the cafe. As usual, she was in a cafe and there were a number of people in the cafe. Since it was open after many days, the usual customers were talking with her and asking about her. They were always worried about Roseanne and the cafe. Roseanne was surveying the cafe when a customer who just entered from the door collided with her. The woman said as soon as she felt that Roseanne would be falling on her, “Hey, be careful.” However, the collision happened before she could make a difference. “I am sorry,” Roseanne whispered. She did not expect to cau
The next day Ellora visited the cafe again despite having a bad encounter there. She had coffee and continued the book that she was reading. She stayed there for more than four hours. When she was leaving she asked a waitress, “Where is that girl who showed me around yesterday?”Ellora wanted to meet Roseanne but she didn't see her anywhere. The barista had no idea who this lady was asking about. There were many redheads around. Which one in particular was she asking about? She asked very politely, “I am sorry mam, may I know what her name is?”Ellora said, “She did not tell me her name.”It was only now Ellora realised that she didn't ask that girl her name. “Can you tell me how she looks,” The barista asked. Ellora began explaining Roseanne's facial features, “Umm she is a redhead and has very bright blue eyes.”“And?” The barista said. As Ellora began describing her facial features, a face formed in her mind and she began realising something. The barista replied, “Oh, that's
After that day Ellora began visiting the cafe only to observe the girl, named Roseanne. She wanted to ignore it but each incident was bringing her closer to Roseanne. The suppressed emotions were finally finding an outlet. It had been five years since Anne died but she could not grieve for her. One day, Roseanne accompanied her for coffee. Ellora finally found an open chance to scrutinise Roseanne. She was finding similarities between Roseanne and Anne Rose. "Do you come here alone every day?” Roseanne questioned as she took a seat, holding the cup of cold coffee in her hand. “Yes.” Ellora answered, “I came to visit my son here but since he is busy with work all day. I have no entertainment and this place serves as one. It is a very lovely place.”“Yes, ”Roseanne said with a smile. This place was her pride. She put a lot of effort into making this place a dream come true. She turned people’s ideas for peace in a bookstore and coffee shop into a business idea. “Are you the manager
“Are you nervous?” Charlotte asked, glancing at Sebastian as they stood outside the grand Hart estate.“A little,” he admitted, adjusting his collar.She leaned closer, whispering, “I’m more nervous than you.”He squeezed her hand. “I’m here with you.”“Dummy,” she muttered. “I’m nervous for you. My father might just eat you alive.”Sebastian paled slightly. “Great. That’s reassuring.”She smirked. “Don’t worry, I will bring you back alive.”He let out a nervous chuckle. “Maybe we should just walk in blindly and hope for the best.”With that, still holding each other’s hands, they stepped inside the Hart mansion. The housekeeper led them to the family room where a formidable audience awaited. Nicholas and Anne sat together, exuding quiet authority. To their left, Nathaniel and Sabrina watched with interest, while on the right Ellora and Nikolai observed with mild amusement.Sebastian greeted them one by one. He was trying to sound calm but his palms was damp.“You took a whole month t
The front door swung open, and Anne’s eyes widened in surprise.“Belly?” she said, barely masking her surprise.It had been a month since Abella left for her Europe trip, and she hadn’t mentioned anything about returning. But here she was, standing at the threshold, looking very exhausted. Without a word, Abella stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her mother in a tight hug.Anne was taken aback. She gently rubbed her daughter’s back. “Sweetheart, is everything okay?”Abella’s voice was small. “Estelle and Ronan got divorced.”Anne’s heart clenched.“She moved to London,” Abella continued, her grip on Anne tightened. “She is never coming back, Mom.”Anne held her even closer. “Oh, baby,” she murmured. “I know. I know. Come inside.”As they stepped in, Abella whispered, “I lost my best friend. She will live oceans away now. And the worst part? I can’t even cry about losing her because she is going through something so much worse.” Her voice trembled. “I don’t know what to do.”A
“What is this?” Emery asked as Ronan threw a file onto the table.Ronan’s jaw was tight, his hands clenched into fists. “Divorce papers,” he said flatly.Emery blinked in shock. “What?” She quickly picked up the papers, her eyes scanning through them. “Why?”“She wants a separation,” Ronan said, his voice laced with disbelief. “She already signed them and sent them to me. She wants me to process them so she can officially file for divorce.” His voice was eerily hollow as if he still couldn’t comprehend the situation.Emery’s expression hardened. “Then go to her. Fix this.”Ronan shook his head. “She is gone. Her mother told me she left for a vacation. No one knows where she is, not even her own family. They didn’t even know she filed for divorce until I told them. They are trying to reach her, but she is nowhere to be found.”Emery turned her attention back to the papers while flipping through the pages carefully. The documents were precise and every detail was written well. But when
Abella straightened up and stretched a little. “I think I will have iced tea instead of coffee. Coffee feels too serious for me,” she said with a smile.Cillian chuckled, his gaze softening as he watched her. “I will get you the coffee then.”Before he could reach for his wallet, she was already ahead of him while placing the order and turning to him with a grin. “It’s on me.”He raised an eyebrow, taken aback. Cillian Facci was a man who had always prided himself on taking care of his own bills and had never let a woman pay for him. He opened his mouth to protest, but she was already off to get their drinks.When she returned with the drinks and a tray of food, she asked, “Are you hungry? I am! What do you suggest?”Cillian pointed toward a combo meal that had been his go-to in his college days. She picked up two of them, and they sat at an empty table with the warm food in front of them. What is this alternate reality? he thought.As they dug into their meals, Abella took a bite of
“I’m a first-year medical student at NYU,” Abella answered, a proud smile playing on her lips. “I love my life there.”Cillian muttered under his breath, barely loud enough for her to hear, “So young and untainted.”Her eyes narrowed. “What was that?”“Nothing,” he said smoothly, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.She crossed her arms. “And what about you? Oh wait, let me guess a fancy lawyer fighting high-stakes battles for the immoral capitalists of the world?”Cillian let out a laugh at her sass. “I guess you are not entirely wrong.”Just then, his phone buzzed with a message. He glanced down at Carina.It will take me a bit longer. Wait for me. Don’t leave.He swore under his breath. That woman had some nerve while giving him orders.Shaking his head, he turned back to Abella, his gaze appraising. “Would you like to grab a coffee?”She arched a brow. “Aren’t you a little too old to be asking me for coffee?”His lips twitched in amusement. “How old do you think I am?”She t
“Abella, you can explore the campus while I meet Scottie,” Estelle said as they arrived at Oxford University. Her cousin was running late for a conference, leaving little time for their meeting. Wanting to see her first before heading to the hotel, Estelle decided to make the most of their brief window.“Oh, I like the idea,” Abella replied enthusiastically, already intrigued by the historical grandeur of the university.While Estelle went to meet her cousin, Abella took her time admiring the beauty of the Oxford campus. She had always loved the elegance of its architecture. Its ancient stone buildings stand proudly, ivy creeping along their walls, and students walk with books tucked under their arms. It was just like the movies that she had watched. Finding a quiet spot outside the Oxford Law School, she settled onto a wooden bench and pulled out a thick medical book. It was a contradiction, she knew, reading about anatomy in the heart of a law faculty but it didn’t bother her. She
Charlotte took a deep breath and met his gaze. “I’m sorry for not telling you about Cillian Facci. I wanted to, but the timing was never right.”When she met him, she forgot about everything. All she could recall was her. Sebastian studied her for a moment before shaking his head with a small understanding smile. “We never really had the time, did we? I don’t blame you.”Relieved, she reached for his hand and squeezed it. “Thank you for understanding.”He tilted his head slightly. “So… your parents know about me?”She nodded.“Will they like me?” he asked. His tone was light but she caught the hint of nervousness in his voice.A laugh bubbled out of her. “Maybe, maybe not. But does it really matter?”“A little,” he admitted. “I would rather not be the guy your family wants to strangle.”Charlotte smiled, understanding his worry. “My family is complicated. I was raised by two sets of parents.” She paused, then explained, “My birth parents are easier. My mom is probably over the moon t
After finishing their meal, Sebastian and Charlotte decided to take a short walk together in the beautiful garden of the hotel. They had spent the last two days doing nothing but enjoying each other’s company, and now the fresh air felt nice.As they strolled, Charlotte noticed Sebastian repeatedly declining an incoming call.“Who keeps calling?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.Sebastian sighed, a small and helpless smile on his lips. “It’s my dad.”Charlotte frowned. “It might be something important.”He shook his head. “Trust me, it’s not.” He hesitated for a moment before adding, “Earlier today, he asked me about my plans, and I told him I was going out with you. Now he won’t stop calling and texting, trying to find out if we got back together. He is more excited than a kid on Christmas morning.”He does not know what to do about his father who seemed to be more interested in his relationship with Charlotte. His dad had been given his long lectures over the texts on how to win a wom
"Be careful," Anne said over the phone."Mom, I'll be fine," Abella reassured her. "Thank you for letting me go.""This is for Estelle. I want her to be happy," Anne said gently. "If you need anything, let me know."Abella and Estelle were going on a trip to Europe. Their first stop was London, where Estelle wanted to visit her cousin, who was studying at Oxford. They planned to stay in London for a few days before continuing their journey across Europe. It was a long plan and she was going to spend her semester break by travelling with her best friend. "Have a safe journey, girls!" Anne added. "Call me when you land in London."Although they could have traveled by private jet, Abella and Estelle wanted an independent adventure just like any other young women. However, Anne insisted on booking them first-class seats, ensuring their comfort and safety.Now settled on the flight, Estelle and Abella took their seats, with Abella sitting directly behind Estelle.Just as they were getting