[Heather] The judge reads out the pages of the introduction to open the trial. He also read out every rule that the participants in the trial, including the appointed witnesses, had to abide by. What a waste of my time. This trial was weird. The person preventing me from obtaining legal guardianship was not a family member or relative of Gemma. I didn't know what the judge had in mind to allow this to happen. My attorney assured me to be calm. They would handle everything. But I couldn't be calm because this was about someone's mental health. The longer I took to get my rights, the longer that woman would be in the wrong hands. After the testimonies of two people from Bailey's side, the judge called for a lunch break. We gathered in a room prepared by the organizers. Taylor and Charity distributed food and drinks to us. "What does my mother's past have to do with my request for legal guardianship?" I complained. Blaze rubbed my back. "They're trying to buy time and distract the j
"Don't be pessimistic. The decision isn't necessarily a bad sign," Blaze consoled while sitting by my side.I turned to Bailey, who looked happy with her three lawyers. "They must have done something to make the judge cancel the next hearing."What would that evil couple have done by joining the petition to take care of Gemma? They had no money or assets. The business Diana had mentioned wasn't a household name either, just a little shop. Where would they get the money to pay for her care?"A lot can happen in the few days it takes the judge to study your application, Heather," said one of my lawyers. "Rest assured. He'll make the right decision."I didn't know why Blaze and everyone else were so sure the judge would be fair. Was I the only one who knew Bailey well? In my lifetime of dealing with them, it wasn't easy to win an argument. Moreover, they were very confident from the first day of the trial.They wouldn't smile and relax if they knew they would lose. The judge's sudden dec
"Why are you doing this?!" She swung her right hand towards my chest, but Sasha moved faster by standing between us. The envelope she wanted to stick to my chest was in front of my bodyguard's body. "What are you doing!? Get out of the way!" "You're the one who came impudently into someone else's place. You're the one who should have stepped aside." Sasha moved the woman's hands away from her body while slightly pushing her back. "Damn you! A lowlife like you shouldn't be holding me, let alone talking to me. Get out of my way!" She pushed Sasha aside, but my bodyguard was unmoved. "Mind your manners, Darcy," I scold in a stern voice. "Sasha is right. Pay attention to where you are. I can kick you out if you keep yelling." She pressed her lips together and looked at me fiercely. "Are you paying people to stalk me? Don't you have anything else to do but find out about my privacy?" "What are you talking about?" I confused. "Why are you giving this to my mother-in-law!?" She waved th
[Blaze] "Everything’s ready," Kyle reported over the phone. I looked to my left. Heather waved her hand before entering the store. I waved back until James drove the car away. It was time for me to do something. I hated seeing my wife's troubled face. Arriving at the airport, I followed my bodyguard, who led me to my private jet. Fortunately, Kyle managed to persuade the person who rented this plane to lend it to me for one day. The pilot and flight attendants were ready for takeoff. While in the air, I checked the work Kyle had emailed me. The project offers were piling up, so I had to turn some of them down. Business was unpredictable. While trying to expand my hospitality business, my construction business was rising in demand. An hour and a half in the air, the plane landed. I rushed out of the cabin as soon as the aircraft came to a complete stop. A car was waiting, ready to take me to my destination. James quickly settled behind the steering wheel, and I sat in the back seat
[Heather] My heart was beating rapidly when the judge entered the courtroom. We were invited to sit down, so I began to pray that my request would be granted. I was willing to go through another trial if we had to appeal, but my mother's condition needed to be checked immediately. I hoped I would win. The man read the introduction to his judgment. The more time passed, the more impatient I became to hear the results of his observations on all our testimonies. I had to take a deep breath and exhale slowly over and over again. My hands turned red as I squeezed them tightly. After several days of agonizing waiting, did he have to read such a long opening before delivering the results of his contemplation? Why not read the result first and then the introduction? "I don't understand why the previous judge allowed the legal guardianship of Gemma Harrington to be given to George and Diana Bailey. I looked for the file to study, but neither I nor my staff found it," the judge said, surpris
I stared anxiously at the door of the doctor's office. The nurse had told us that the doctor would need a lot of time to do the examination, but I couldn't wait for hours.Unable to bear the curiosity, I killed time by checking my email and saw that my inbox was full. I sighed softly and tried to work on my assignment. I checked the proposal first and signed off. So, stock or funds could be issued for smooth sales.The nurse finally let us in. Grandma and I looked at each other meaningfully. We stood up and entered the practice room hand in hand. A woman in a white robe greeted us kindly."Gemma Harrington suffers from untreated postpartum depression. From her story, she was pregnant, but her fiancé did not admit that they had sex. Since the engagement was broken off and the family kicked her out of the house, she was alone," the psychiatrist reported."After the unwanted child was born, she was further devastated that the father was her best friend's husband. She didn't remember slee
[Blaze] Reuben Harrington was ruthless. There was no mistaking the nickname given to him by the media. With his power, all he had to do was call the right people, and he could get even the most confidential information. I just sat next to him, watching him in action. We had already strategized with his attorney about our charges on Bailey. He didn't give the couple any mercy. What I respected about his actions was he let the clueless Darcy go. Next, we discussed the right way to bring down the other family who had done so much harm to Heather. On that very day, he managed to trap the person he was after. The man was speechless when Reuben asked him to sell his shares. "Heather's birthday is over," I reminded him. "I missed thirty birthdays and Christmases. Isn't it time to pay down my debt from now on?" he said casually. I was stunned for a moment. Didn't I hear it wrong? Did he seriously want to give his granddaughter thirty birthday and thirty Christmas presents? How lucky my w
"Mom," Gemma said as she turned to Renee. "I'm sleepy."Renee glanced at us before looking at her daughter. "Of course, dear. Come, let me take you to your room."They stood up and walked towards Gemma's bedroom. I turned to my wife sitting by my side. Her eyes were teary, and her lips were trembling. I held her hand that was on the table. She must have been devastated by Gemma's reaction."I'm fine," she mumbled. "She just needs time to digest the information.""She's just shocked. Thirty years is a very long time. She remembers you as a baby. Seeing you suddenly this big must have been shocking." Reuben gave her ID card back to Heather."What if Mom hates me?" she asked worriedly. "It's a good thing I changed my name to Knightley. If I still had Bailey's surname, she'd be mad.""Your mom won't be mad. Trust me." Reuben held Heather's free hand. "I'm her father, so I know her character. As for your name, we'll discuss it later. I won't allow Harrington to drop her name even if she's
Hi. I've found the Epilogue's author's note on the website but not on the app on my phone. So, in case some of you wonder why I didn't write any note at the end, I did. Here is my gratitude to all of you, dear readers. ♡♡♡ ___ Thank you so much for reading Heather and Blaze's story from start to finish. You have no idea how your support is helping me to complete this book. I realize people nowadays don't like stories about the main lead who has flaws and often makes mistakes. I've found and read some comments, even a review expressing disappointment. I'm sorry I can't make everyone happy. Therefore, I appreciate the support of readers who enthusiastically followed the book and witnessed the development of Heather and Blaze's characters. It's nice reading a story about a badass and unbeatable main lead. However, the imperfect one wants to be heard, too. Their story has ended here, but it won't stop our imagination from continuing the new chapters in our minds. Once again, thank yo
I stopped walking and watched their interaction from afar. We were just far enough away to hear their conversation. Blaze had never met Roger before. Since my modeling career, he had never accompanied me on a photo shoot or filming. "My wife can only appear in modest clothes. What is this photo? Why is her cleavage showing? Do you want people to get horny looking at it?" Blaze scolded. Oh my. He had my boss come to see him to talk about that? "Heather didn't mind. I discussed everything before executing her outfit." Roger defended himself. I nodded in agreement. "I told you to help her model not for this but to boost her confidence. If she has to show off her body, you better cancel your agent contract with her," Blaze threatened. What? So, Roger didn't approach me on his initiative? Roger was silent, so I used the opportunity to approach them. "Well, well, well. So, you were the one who told Roger to offer me a modeling contract." My boss turned his head, and his face turned pale
I could feel her watching me intently. I was wearing R&R's latest black dress and shoes loved by the public. To top it off, I was wearing a diamond necklace and bracelet that Blaze gave me. "No matter how perfectly dressed, an ugly person can't cover her flaws." She walked over and stood by my side. Sasha swiftly stood between us. "After Blaze changed his name, you did the same. Do you think bearing Harrington's name will make you one of them?" I took a tissue, dried my hands, then threw it into the rubbish bin. "Darcy, instead of intervening in my life, why don't you search where your parents are?" She furrowed her brow. "What do you mean? They're in their house." "Really? When was the last time you visited them?" She smirked. "You don't like hearing the truth. That's why you changed the topic. Right? Those who smile in front of you, don't trust them. You don't know, but they may mock you when you're not around." "Is that what you think of your friends?" I retorted. "I no longer
I took a deep breath as the car entered the car park of a luxury hotel. I thanked the bellboy, who opened the car door and waited for Sasha to stand beside me. The valet parking attendant parked the car.I told my name, and the receptionist handed me a special visitor card. A man escorted me to an executive elevator. I didn't have to worry about choosing a floor because he did it. Sasha and I waited for the doors to open on our destination floor.I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as the doors opened. With my chin up, I walked out and followed the lady who greeted me. The hotel was truly luxurious with its elegant interiors."Please come in, ma'am," she politely said as she opened the door for me."Thank you." I entered the room and was further amazed by the spacious and luxurious meeting room. It was far different from the simple meeting room in my store.The people in the room suddenly fell silent upon my arrival. I had deliberately arrived at the last second to avoid intera
[Blaze] I didn't care if people hurt me, but I wouldn't forgive them for daring to drag my wife into our problems. What that woman did was unforgivable. She sent people to shoot me when I was with Heather. I was surprised to find out who it was and relieved she gave me a fun new assignment. The peaceful situation was boring. I needed something to do on the side besides taking care of work and caring for my family. Unbeknownst to me, Reuben was also outraged at what that woman had done to his granddaughter. He encouraged me to retaliate by taking over all of Anderson's wealth. This man was truly more sadistic than me. I was happy to have his full support. "Clark is delighted with the DNA test results. I'm sure his wife and three daughters won't stay silent. If you need anything, just let me know. I'll give you everything you need to defeat them," Reuben said after our second meeting with my father. "Thank you, but I can handle it myself. I want that family to know I can face them w
Blaze wrapped his arms around my body, and we ducked as deep as we could in the back seat. James drove the car, not caring about the traffic lights. I closed my eyes in anticipation of us crashing into another vehicle. However, what I feared didn't happen. The car continued to move quickly, away from the shooting scene. My chest felt tight from the rapid beating of my heart. We had just passed through death. Who would want to hurt Blaze? Blaze loosened his embrace, but I didn't let him get away from me. I hugged him tightly. Not caring about the tears rolling down my cheeks, I pressed my face against his chest. I almost lost him had this car not been bulletproof. "Heather, everything is safe. My men are going to find out who the shooter is. Jericho managed to change the traffic light. That's why we can get away from that place," he consoled. What? Jericho could do that? Did that mean he hacked the traffic lights earlier? How could he have such a great crew? But we're not safe yet.
[Heather]I didn't expect him to announce our relationship in a press conference. I didn't ask for such a big thing. What I had in mind was him announcing it on his social media accounts. I didn't care if he posted a picture of us or not.But the surprise was very touching. My chest was so full of happiness that I couldn't explain it. The women who doubted our marriage would see and believe Blaze and I were serious about our marriage.I kissed him and let the reporters' cameras take as many pictures of us as they wanted. It would make a good photo on the front page of the news later. Unfortunately, he didn't smile like I expected him to. Was he just so in his sleep, not in his consciousness?I didn't want to be greedy, so I didn't let the cold relationship between me and Mom get me down. I enjoyed the event that Blaze had prepared as best I could. I chatted with Charity, Taylor, and Faye, then returned the greetings of every employee of my store and our house."Blaze still sleeping?"
"Mom," Gemma said as she turned to Renee. "I'm sleepy."Renee glanced at us before looking at her daughter. "Of course, dear. Come, let me take you to your room."They stood up and walked towards Gemma's bedroom. I turned to my wife sitting by my side. Her eyes were teary, and her lips were trembling. I held her hand that was on the table. She must have been devastated by Gemma's reaction."I'm fine," she mumbled. "She just needs time to digest the information.""She's just shocked. Thirty years is a very long time. She remembers you as a baby. Seeing you suddenly this big must have been shocking." Reuben gave her ID card back to Heather."What if Mom hates me?" she asked worriedly. "It's a good thing I changed my name to Knightley. If I still had Bailey's surname, she'd be mad.""Your mom won't be mad. Trust me." Reuben held Heather's free hand. "I'm her father, so I know her character. As for your name, we'll discuss it later. I won't allow Harrington to drop her name even if she's
[Blaze] Reuben Harrington was ruthless. There was no mistaking the nickname given to him by the media. With his power, all he had to do was call the right people, and he could get even the most confidential information. I just sat next to him, watching him in action. We had already strategized with his attorney about our charges on Bailey. He didn't give the couple any mercy. What I respected about his actions was he let the clueless Darcy go. Next, we discussed the right way to bring down the other family who had done so much harm to Heather. On that very day, he managed to trap the person he was after. The man was speechless when Reuben asked him to sell his shares. "Heather's birthday is over," I reminded him. "I missed thirty birthdays and Christmases. Isn't it time to pay down my debt from now on?" he said casually. I was stunned for a moment. Didn't I hear it wrong? Did he seriously want to give his granddaughter thirty birthday and thirty Christmas presents? How lucky my w