"Yes, baby, you're going to meet the auntie and uncle you're talking about but… unlike what you're expecting, they're not our siblings because both your mommy and I are only children of our own parents," Shawn explained to her. He knows that a child like her might not be able to understand him immediately and so he needed to clarify it first hand.
"Just like you, you're our only child," he added.
Rica's eyes blinked innocently as she tilted her head a little.
"But are you going to make me siblings?" she asked them that drew a smile on his face. He was surprised for a second but he also expected that she'd ask him.
He patted the child's small head before he responded with a smile. "Yes, of course," he said with confidence. He then slightly turned to look at his wife and then winked at her.
"Your mother and I are working on it, right,
Just as they were busy packing her and her child's things, Ericka noticed Shawn staring right at her.She slowly crept up from where she was crouching and asked, “What is it?”She couldn't help but furrow her brows a little at the sight of the man."I'm curious. How long have you stayed in this apartment?" Shawn asked her. He had his arms crossed together while leaning on the wall.The place was just enough for one person with a small adequate space for a child. It also looked peaceful if you look at the neighboring place and was a comfortable place to live in.Ericka did a great job."I've lived here for four years since Rica was born," she replied. "It was after Carol's burial when I shifted here."After a short while, she placed down the box she was holding onto the floor
Shawn was looking at his beautiful wife and he felt immensely proud in his heart. He knew to himself that he was lucky to be Ericka's husband.“How do you find your wife?”“She's gorgeous and the apple of my eye; the only woman my heart beats for.”Everyone started teasing them as they gave them a round of applause.“Shall we?” he asked as soon as he reached the side of his wife; Ericka hook her arm on his.After ten minutes, they arrived at the location that his father sent to him.“What's with that smile? You’ve been smiling like that since we were at the salon.” Ericka said as soon as they started heading to the door of the restaurant.“Well, it's a prideful smile, honey.“ “Good evening sir, ma'am, do you have a reservation?”“Oh yes, we are with Mr. Willy Gray.”“Sir, this way please,” the waiter as he lead them to where his father was. Not long after, they saw his father and Ericka's father along with his second wife and Jenna, sitting and talking at the table.“Oh, look how gor
They both took out their phone and answered the call, “Hello….”“Hello, ms Ericka. Rica wants to talk to you and your husband.”“No worries, Nimfa. Tell her that I will call you back.”“Yes, Ms. Ericka. Bye.”“Bye.”Ericka looked at her husband, who was busy talking on the phone. She was worried about talking while Shawn was sitting next to her, especially since he was talking on the phone. She was quietly listening to her husband, and as far as she understood, he was talking with his subordinates.“What happened?” Shawn immediately asked her as soon as he ended the call.“It's Nimfa. Rica wanted to talk to us. I think the little girl is excited. It's the first time she has asked Nimfa to call me.”“Alright, call them so we can talk to Rica.”She dialed Nimfa’s number, and after one ring, the call co
Shawn had no choice but to let his cousin get inside the house, though it was too early for her to come in there uninvited. Especially since he had yet to tell them where he was living, he was wondering where she found out about his house unless his father told her.“I smell something. Are you having your breakfast?”“Yes, do you want to join us?”“Of course! Since you invited me, thank you.”“Good morning, sister-in-law. Can I join you to have breakfast?”Ericka turned her head. “Oh, hi, good morning. Yes, of course. Let me get you a plate. “Lhe was about to stand up when Shawn stopped her. “Stay honey, let me go get it instead.”“The dish is mouthwatering…”“Oh, yes indeed, taste it,” Ericka replied.“What brought you here so early?” Shawn asked.“Well, I was wondering if my sister-in-law needs help finding a good wedding dress or the best dress for a bridesmaid. I love to help in planning for your wedding.”“Hmm… I think my wife’s personal assistant is working on it already. Thank
“Good morning, Mr. Shawn.”‘Good morning, Lani. Good, you are here. We are hiring a stay-in housemaid. Would you mind teaching them? And please clean the other room; my daughter is coming soon.”He could see the shock on the woman’s face."You are shocked?’’“I'm sorry, Mr. Shawn.’’“It's okay. I understand if you guys are shocked. Well, I just got married the other day. Our wedding day will be announced soon, and you are invited,” he said to the woman in front of him.“Congratulations, Mr. Shawn. Where is your wife?’’“She is coming down soon.”****Ericka left the room when she was done changing. She saw Shawn talking with a woman who was in her thirties. She remembered that Shawn told her about a part-timer cleaner who always came there everyday.Everyone looked at her direction, and they all smiled until she arrived where they were standing.“There she is. Lani, meet my wife, Ericka. Honey, she is the part-timer who comes here every other day to clean the house.”“Hi, Lani, nice
“Hello Nick, is everything okay?’’“No, bro.”“Why? What happened?”“Nicki is not here.”“Few days before I arrived, he didn’t come back home. That’s what my parents said.”“Why? What happened? Did you report to the police that he is missing?”“No, he is not missing. Actually, he checked the airport surveillance camera and saw that he had traveled. Also, we traced the withdrawal from his bank account. It came from there.” Nick exclaimed.“So, you mean to say that Nicki is here?”“Yes, he is.”“So, what's your plan?”“I'm on my way now going back to the airport.”“Did you call someone in your house to see if he was there?”“No, he didn't go to our ancestral house,”“Oh… where could he be?’’“I don't know yet. That's why I want to go there right away to search for him. Please, if you heard anything about him, inform me immediately.”“Sure, I will do that. Hopefully, everything would be fine.”****“Mom, is Aunty Nimfa coming to our new house?” Rica suddenly asked. “Shawn, where are you
“Nanny Maria!” Ericka exclaimed as she stood up to give the elder woman a hug.“Congratulations, my dear! I'm very happy for you. I'm sure wherever your Mom is, she will be delighted because this is one of her wishes since you were young. She used to admire you and Shawn being together.”“Yes, Nanny Maria,” she replied and hugged her tighter.“By the way, who is this little girl here?”“Hi grandma, I’m Rica. I’m their daughter,” Rica proudly introduced herself.“Oh, hello, little girl. I’m your Grandma Maria. I was your mommy’s nanny when she was young like you.”“Really, Mommy?”“Yes, Baby. She is the one who took care of me along with my mother and grandmother.”“Wow, that's so exciting, Grandma Maria. Have you seen my Grandpa’s room?”“Yes, of course,” Mari
"Yes, Dad. I met her yesterday when we went to get Ericka's things in her old apartment." His father nodded his head in satisfaction and replied, "That's cool. I want to meet her. I need to tell you what your mother told me before she died…" "What is it, Dad? Do you mind sharing?" He asked while looking intently at his father. "She told me that I should say thank you to whomever your relatives are because you fulfilled her wish to be a mother. She also told me to say sorry to them as we became selfish. She is very apologetic to you and your relatives.” "Oh, now I understand why Mom keeps saying sorry. All I thought then was she was hallucinating." "No, son. She is talking about taking you from your family." With a sigh, his father continued, "The truth is that your mother and I couldn't conceive a child. We both have a problem reproducing a child. We found out about it when you were two years old." They were in that situation when they heard a knock on the door. "Come in." The
Because of Carol's question on him and his current anxiety, he couldn't help but had the urge of doing something about his doubts.If it was true that he had a child with Jenna, though he never heard about it from Ericka and Shawn, he still needed to be sure.Carol received a call from Ericka that she needed to go to the hospital because today was the day that Rica would be discharged. That cute little girl stayed for two nights and two days at the hospital. Though Nick and her only visited her niece the day before, along with Nicki, she was still worried.She was in the middle of driving to the hospital when her phone suddenly ranh. She parked on the side of the road with an emergency flickering sign light. Afterwards, she immediately swiped the answer button on the screen when she saw it was Ericka."Hello, Ms. Ericka," she greeted."Carol, can you just call me Ericka? After all, you are the aunt of my daughter, and the girlfriend of my husband's best friend…" Ericka kept on insist
Nick immediately stood up when he saw his brother. He knew that Nicki was angry as he could see it in his facial expressions. He immediately went and stopped his brother midway."Bro, Rica is fine,” he whispered, which instantly made Nicki calm down a bit."Tell me what happened?" he asked in a firm tone.Nick narrated what he heard from the elderly woman, but he didn’t know how he related it to Shawn and Ericka.After everything was fine and Rica’s condition was already stable, they decided to go to the nearest restaurant for lunch. After giving their order, Shawn looked at Nick, and he knew what it meant."Well, Carol and I are in a relationship. Besides, you also need to know that she is Rica's Aunty, Carol. Coraline Sandoval is the eldest sister of Carolina Imperial," he explained hastily, giving shock to the couple in front of them."Really…?" Ericka and Shawn replied in unison."Yes…" With that, he narrated everything to them, including the letters."One more thing, Rica’s biolo
They were all sitting in the living room with a bottle of vodka on the top of the center table."Here, read the letter that Caroline gave to you…” Nicki said and handed the paper to Nick while he was putting the stainless bucket on the table that was filled with ice cubes."Should I read it now?" Nick asked with doubt and hesitation as he was holding the rough textured paper between his fingers."Yes, I advised you too, so you can know about the truth,” Nicki said blandly.She could see that there's something serious written on the letter that Carolina had left for the brothers. It was evident based on Nicki's gesture and his blunt reply to Nick."I'm sure the last time we met, you were shocked as to why I left without telling you," Nicki said to her while pouring her glass with vodka."Oh, yes, regarding that, I am really surprised. I thought you were just in a hurry, or an emergency occurred," she replied."No, when you told me about your boyfriend coming, and I saw that it was my b
Carol was surprised when Nick suddenly hugged her as soon as he got inside their house. On the usual days, once he got home, he would open the door by himself. However, tonight was different. He rang the bell, making her open the door for him as she thought that there was a delivery or an unexpected guest.It didn’t occur to her that it might be Nick as she was aware that he went to have dinner with his brother and her employers. He never texted her earlier that he won’t be eating at home because they would be meeting at a restaurant."Babe are you alright?" she couldn’t help but ask with confusion because of his gesture."Yes, Babe. I'm fine. I just couldn't help but be happy after meeting them. One more thing, there's something I need to tell you," Nick uttered in such a manner that he seemed to be too excited to tell her something.Suddenly, she remembered that he promised to tell her something about his secret after he had a meeting with her employer and his brother."Is it about
Carol swallowed a lump in her throat as a ridiculous idea ran through her head. She couldn't believe that she thought that Nick would do that to his deceased girlfriend. She could see how kind Nick was. Unless, of course, if he was only pretending and hiding his true colors."I'm scared…" she murmured. It was already too late before she realized that she had voiced those words."I'm sorry. I have no intentions of scaring you. I promise you… Once I'm done talking with Shawn and Ericka, and when everything turns out to be fine, I will introduce you to my family. I know that they’ll be happy to meet you." After hearing his words and the name of her employer from his mouth, she couldn’t help but feel relieved."Mr Shawn and Ms Ericka?" she asked."Yes, there's something I need to settle with them. I hope that once you find out everything about me, you will listen to the entire story first before judging me. I promise you that I’m not a bad person which is why I don’t understand why Carol
He felt confused, and his heart felt heavy. Every question he had in his mind was answered after he heard his brother's confession. All this time, the girl's voice he heard on the other line of the phone was his daughter.The longing he felt for his daughter was soon to be filled. Out of excitement, he immediately hugged his brother. Though Carol didn't tell him about his daughter, she did well by handing the custody of their child to Ericka and Shawn."Yes, bro. I know them well. Carol has something to give you; she asked Ericka to give it to you before she died," he said before he distanced himself from hugging his brother."For me…" Nicki asked with a smile plastered on his lips."Yes, for you…" Nick affirmed after they heard the sounds of the knocking, making them look at the door, which suddenly opened. Looking, they found that it was their parents."Mom… Dad…" they said in unison and immediately embraced each of them."What's going on here? Are you both crying?" Their mother ask
After the meeting with Shawn, Nick went to their ancestral home where Nicki was staying.As soon as he parked his car, he saw their butler coming out from the main door. He immediately got out of the car and greeted the elderly woman."Hello, Aunty Amy…""Sir. Nick," the elder woman replied back."How's everything, how's my brother?" he asked.Amy smiled at him and replied, "He's doing fine. I just served his breakfast.""Where is he?""He's in his bedroom," the butler replied."Thank you, Aunty," he mumbled and went inside the house. From there he went straight to the staircase, heading to his brother's bedroom. He took a deep breath before he knocked on the door three times and waited for his brother's response, but he got nothing. He held the doorknob and twisted it before he pushed the door to open.He saw that the bed was empty, and the sounds of the running water echoed from the bathroom. He headed to the bed and sat there at the edge. He decided to wait for his brother to come
"Shawn, I'm just testing you. The truth is that the birthmark I was asking for was here behind your ear," Grandma Mila said as she touched the small mole that was behind his ear. If he purposely looked for it, they could see it."Oh, Grandma…" Shawn mumbled and hugged the old woman tight."Tell me, Mr. Grey, if I'm not mistaken, there's embroidery name, Shawn, in his shirt and shorts when you found him?" Grandma asked, looking at Mr. Grey."Yes, Mrs. Mila. There is,” he admitted."You see, I wasn't mistaken. You are my grandson. I'm just checking on you earlier." Grandma giggled.They stayed there until lunchtime, and the old woman cooked a dish that was Shawn's late father's favorite dish."This is one of your father's favorite dishes, steam fish with mayonnaise sauce.""Shawn's favorite is seafood, anything that's seafood. He likes it. Either you cook it with sauce, fried or grilled." Mr. Grey said."He is like his father. His mother likes to do embroidery. The truth is that his mot
"Hon, what should we bring for her? Should we buy cake," he asked, trying to think carefully.Ericka thought for a while and helped her analyze. "Cake, I don't think so. She loves to bake, and usually, she's giving it all a slice of cake every time she makes a cake.""Really..?'' he asked in surprise."Yes, Honey. Grandma Mila love's to bake. That's one of her habits," Ericka shared with a smile."Then what should we bring for her?""How about a basket of fruits?""Well, that's a good idea, and a bouquet of red roses.""Yes, why not."After they got the best gift to bring, they arrived at the place of Grandma Mila. They looked at each other and Shawn turned off the car engine."Are you ready?" Ericka asked."Yes, actually, I'm excited. I was wondering what could be her reaction," Shawn said while feeling nervous as well."Well, let's find out," Ericka said after she unbuckled herself."Hon, I'm nervous," Shawn said while smiling."I understand you because I felt the same when I return