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Claire was lying on her back on the operating table. The huge bright light from above was shining into her eyes, making her squint them. For some reason, her heart raced. The theater was cold and scary. Anything could happen. Would she survive the surgery? She had no idea... all she could do was hope for the best. Charlotte, dressed in her full surgical attire glanced down at Claire and remarked, "You're going to stay awake but we're going to give you spinal anesthesia. It will numb you from the waist down so that you don't feel any pain. Are you ready?" Was she ready? No, she wasn't. However, since they needed to cut her open to save her baby, Claire could only be brave. She nodded and replied, "Yes, I'm ready. Please save my baby."Charlotte assured her, "I will try my best."She then instructed the anesthesiologist to administer anesthesia to Claire. Thereafter, Charlotte conducted some tests to ensure Claire’s legs were numb. "Can you feel this?" She asked as she lightly pric
A few days passed and Claire finally got discharged from the hospital. She never got to live at the villa after the honeymoon because the moment they returned, she was kidnapped by one Wesley Crawford. Luckily, she was found a month later, but she was immediately admitted to the hospital because of her high-risk pregnancy. Leaving the hospital that had been her home for the last few months gave Claire mixed feelings. She had gotten used to the place, however, nothing beats having to stay in your own home with your family. “Are you ready to go home, my love?” Oliver asked, bringing Claire back to the present. He was holding little Alexander while Claire was taking slow, small steps. Her c-section wound had yet to internally heal but she was cleared to be discharged because she was recovering at a fast rate. Roxanne, Katherine and Quinn helped to carry the baby’s things while the men, Henry, Liam, Jake and Julian carried the heavier stuff like Claire’s bag of clothes, the heavy bag
Claire’s eyes rounded at Oliver in shock. “Are you kidding me? There’s no way I’m accepting those shares. If anything, you should share them with your siblings,” Claire remarked. Oliver let out a low chuckle. He looked at his wife and asked in amusement, “Are you worried that I’m not going to share with the rest of our family?” “Well, you will, right? It’s only fair that you do,” Claire answered, biting her lip. Zara Ford chipped in and said, “Don’t worry, sister-in-law. Oliver already gave us some shares although he didn’t have to… that's his inheritance. But he’s stubborn like Dad and practically forced the shares on all of us.” After Oliver accepted the shares from Julian Crawford, he made sure his family were also part of the shareholders of the Crawford Automotive Group. Most importantly, since Henry Ford was the chairman of the Ford Corporation, Oliver added him to the board of directors of the Crawford Automotive Group, in case he was needed in the future. It was always g
A few weeks passed. It was a weekend and Quinn had picked up Thalia to help out Claire and Oliver since they had their hands full with little Alex. She decided to take Thalia to the mall since there was a children’s play area and Quinn could sit at a nearby open cafe and work on her new project while Thalia played with the other kids. “Auntie Quinn, isn’t that Uncle Jake and Luci?” Thalia asked the moment they entered the play area. 'Jake is here?' Quinn asked herself in her mind. She glanced towards where Thalia was pointing and saw Jake. However, he happened to turn his head at the same time and their eyes met. ‘How long has it been since I saw him alone?’ Quinn mused, her heart skipping a beat. Since the day that she pushed Jake away, he had not tried to hit on her. Despite them meeting when visiting Claire and Oliver, the two didn’t interact often. It was almost as if Jake was avoiding Quinn. This gave the woman mixed feelings. Yes, she had told Jake to leave her and make
“Shit!” Jake cursed when Charlotte’s phone directed him to voicemail for the umpteenth time. He was in the living room at his penthouse, pacing back and forth as he tried to get hold of Charlotte. “Jake, calm down-” “I can’t calm down, Quinn. Charlotte just abandoned her son to pursue her career. Who does that?” Jake said through gritted teeth. His jaw was clenched and he had green veins almost popping out of his forehead. He always knew Charlotte was unreliable but to abandon her son for a job? What kind of mother is she? Quinn sighed as she watched Jake. When he received the message, she couldn’t leave him alone, knowing he was confused and shocked. So, she followed him to his penthouse and after putting Lucian to sleep in Jake’s bed, she came out to find Jake furiously typing on his phone. From texts, he made calls that couldn’t go through. “Making a hundred calls won’t change anything. If she’s already on a plane, her phone is off,” Quinn remarked. “I just… I just don’t und
The previous night. Quinn had just finished reading Lucian a bedtime story when her phone buzzed, indicating she had received a message. She glanced at Lucian who was now sleeping peacefully. He was so cute with flushed squishy cheeks that matched his ginger hair. Quinn couldn't fathom how anyone would want to leave such an adorable child. 'I feel sorry for him. He will wake up tomorrow and find out his mother is gone,' she said in her mind. Sighing, she took out her phone to check her message, only for her to frown when she read it. It was from her editor who had suddenly changed his attitude towards her a few months ago. Brandon: [I heard Mr Norton's baby mama has left. Now's your chance, Quinn. If you manage to seduce him, then you will never lack anything in life. You might even become the CEO since Mr Norton bought shares in our company for you.] Quinn's eyebrows creased in confusion. It was clear this 'Mr Norton' that Brandon was talking about was Jake. However, since when
The small voice made the couple freeze. They pulled apart and turned to look at the little boy who was standing in the hallway. Lucian was rubbing his eyes, a sign that he had just woken up. He sniffed again and cried, "I want my Mommy." Jake's heart raced violently against his ribcage. It was so loud he could hear it in his ears. He was usually never afraid of anything, however, at that moment, his stomach knotted with nerves. He didn't know what to do. Or what to say. The answer to his son's question was simple but he didn't know how to tell him his mother had left. Quinn noticed that Jake was at a loss for words. So, she walked towards Lucian and crouched down at his eye level. "Hey, buddy. Good morning. Your Mommy is at work but Daddy and Auntie are here, would you like some pancakes?" Quinn remarked. She didn't exactly lie. Charlotte had left for her work. The boy instantly forgot he was looking for his mother and grinned from ear to ear. He exclaimed, "Yes, I want panca
Several weeks passed. Claire's internal wound had fully healed and she could finally return to work after a long time. Her employees were excited to see her again since she hadn't been to the office for close to a year. Regardless, the firm was still running well since she still held meetings to discuss the future of the company with the directors of her firm through video conferences. It was over the weekend and Oliver had planned to take his wife to the beach house that he had built for her. Little Alex had grown and was big enough to be left with the nanny for a few hours or days. However, Claire’s motherly instincts kept making her restless. She couldn't help but miss their children seeing that they left them for a whole weekend away. Although she had pumped enough breast milk, Claire was worried Alex wouldn't like it if he noticed she was away. "Do you think the nanny can handle the kids?" She asked her husband, her stomach knotting with worry. "Yes, she will. She's train