It was morning and Ethan was standing inside the library in his house, which had been left unused and untouched for so long even if it was usually clean. The air was heavy with the scent of aged papers, and leather-bound books that had imprinted words of inks that could barely be erased on them. Sunlight streamed through the tall, arched windows up the wall, casting a warm glow on the rows upon rows of bookshelves that lined the walls. The shelves, which were works of art, crafted from rich mahogany with their surfaces polished to a gleaming shine, were reaching towards the high ceiling that seemed endless in a beautiful arrangement. Ethan suddenly seemed interested in searching for some books that he didn't even know where they were, as Jesse watched him from where he was standing without saying a word. He had offered to help the suddenly curious billionaire find what he was looking for, but he politely rejected the offer and continued to look through the unending lists of books.
The air was filled with anticipation as Autumn and Evan eagerly awaited their fifth birthday, so much so that Autumn was almost unable to sleep all night out of excitement till the next day. Ava had been so busy getting every gift she was planning to get for them, coupled with her scheduled meetings for the week, and things had been harder than she thought it would be, even if she had Beatrice to help her with many preparations. On the morning of their birthday when they could finally sleep at dawn, they woke up so late to their disappointment, and ran downstairs in fear that they might have missed the highlights of their birthday because they overslept. However, the day was just starting. The mansion came alive with bustling energy as a team of hired staff worked meticulously on the decoration of the building, where the grand party setup was going to take place for just the family. The splendid ballroom, which housed only a few things that were barely needed because it was not in us
The room was ladened with palpable tension as if the very air had become charged with jolts of electricity, and the uncomfortable silence which was deafening, was occasionally broken only by the sounds of shallow breaths and the nervous shuffle of people's feet. Eyes darted anxiously around the room as they avoided any direct contact with one another, as each person pretended to be lost in their thoughts with furrowed eyebrows and faces that held expressionless emotions. The anticipation that hung in the air pressed down upon Ava, making it so difficult for to breathe properly at the moment. The unexpected turn of events left her feeling confused and unsure of what to do next. 'Maybe she didn't think it well.'A day earlier, she had phoned Jordyn to reveal that her children were having their fifth birthday, after she mentioned her brief trip to Germany for a meeting. The news caught Jordyn off guard as she never expected to hear about becoming a grandmother so soon. Despite the sur
Nothing had changed much ever since the birthday party, except new discoveries and mending an old friendship. Ava was faced squarely with her lingering thoughts once again, when she ran into Ethan at a conference meeting that she had attended and pretended like she knew him not. She left for Singapore too for a few days later, and came back almost immediately, because she was still left with the trauma of the last time she received a call about Evan. Her heart would still beat fast anytime she thought of it, still with the fear that he was probably not as fine as he claimed. However, she had so much to deal with at home too. The kids had asked her so many times why she and Ethan were not living together. They wanted to know if they were initially married and divorced one another, or if he was just going to be their daddy because some kind of fight happened between them. It baffled Ava every time to know that her kids were so intelligent to things going on around them, to the exten
It has been a few days since Anna got discharged from the hospital, after she slumped at the mall and had to be rushed to the nearest hospital instantly before she was transferred. She remained unconscious the entire day even after she was treated already by the doctors, which made Jordyn so agitated because everything happened so fast. Ava had to take the kids back home who were confused about what happened before them, and came back to the hospital even when Jordyn told her to not worry. Though it was hard to forgive and forget everything that Anna had done to make her miserable and how nasty their past had been, fate had played an unavoidable game that she could not avoid even if she tried so hard. Jordyn was the main reason to keep her going in the new unlikely relationship. AVARSON got endorsed by two renowned models from Australia and the United Kingdom through Jordyn's help, and an unimaginable extremely high success rate hit her business to the shock of every worker in the
"Is Anna talking now? How is she reacting to everything?" Ava asked her mother as they both sat together on the rooftop terrace of a simple classic cafe. Since everything that happened with Anna, they were not able to meet for days, and Jordyn suggested a quick meeting at a place near her house after she stepped out for a meeting. "It is still too much for her to take and even understand. Sometimes she stares like a dummy when you talk, and I fear that she might be out of her mind already," Jordyn rubbed her right hand on her temples as she spoke, stressing out that Anna had been giving her so much more heartache than intended. "If I am being honest, it is so hard to accept Anna, mother. My heart breaks so much at the thought of it. I try to accept it in my head but my heart denies it. It is too overwhelming and hard," Ava voiced out slowly, thinking if she was being too blunt and harsh about the truth of her feelings. "I know, baby. It pains me to see both of you in a terrible stat
The wine bar was dimly lit with soft jazz music playing in the background, creating a cozy ambiance to sit back and relax in. Dressed in a skimpy, wine-sparkling armless sequin dress, Dali was watching Ava, who was getting a fruit wine poured for her in a wine glass by the bartender. "You are such a party pooper. Fruit wine at a wine bar? Tsh!" Dali rolled her sparkly eyes which were reflecting on the glass as a refraction of the chandelier lights, while flipping her brunette hair to the back and leaning back in her chair with a smile playing on her lips. Her fingers gently tapped against the stem of her wine glass as she swirled it around carefully, taking time to observe it like she was searching for something before she took a sip, while savoring the rich flavors that danced on her tongue."Are you drunk already?" Ava chuckled as she watched Dali's eyes close and open simultaneously at the same time with a flushed face. "Of course, no. I am just excited! And sorry too. I mean loo
"You wanted to talk. Is everything okay? You seem too busy these days to read text or pick up my calls," Ava said as soon as she took her seat before Jace, who was sitting comfortably like a regal figure behind the huge meeting table in the conference room. She went to a popular resort for a meeting with a foreign client over some business, and they met by chance after she was done and ready to leave. He invited her for a little chat since he was also done with a board meeting that he attended on a different floor. "I am sorry. Been busy," Jace apologized, exempting the truth about why he had been rejecting everyone's call knowing fully well that she would be one of the call list too. He had just been so pissed off at so many things lately. "None taken. It is fine," She smiled, "I heard you are working on the newest New York mall project. How is it going?" She asked, trying to continue the conversation which seemed somewhat stiff. "Great as usual," Jace answered concisely with a m