Jayden and Nicholas were left confused by the message.“That guy is playing with us… ugh… I knew we shouldn’t have trusted him,” Nicholas complained, clenching his fists tightly.“Calm down, Nicholas… I doubt he’ll betray us; what worries me is that he has something else up his sleeve…and I don’t think it’s anything good,” Jayden said with a grimace.“Something bad?” Nicholas asked, worried. “What do you mean?”“I know Brandon,” Jayden commented, recalling his school days. “Based on our conversation just now, I have a feeling that my mother-in-law’s body is in a horrible place.”“What…?” Nicholas looked at him, scared and concerned. “What do you mean by that?”“Brandon has always had a somewhat sadistic personality and enjoys the suffering of others. So the location is likely to be a terrible place, and he wants to reveal it in person to mock our reactions,” Jayden explained, grimacing. “It makes sense because that guy has proven to be the worst.”Nicholas tightened his fists be
They arrived home just as a car was pulling away as Jayden waved it off.“My love.”“Hi,” Jayden said, walking over to help his father-in-law with the food bags. “Did you get everything?”“Yes, we took a while because that place is popular so the wait took quite a while.”“Did you wait long?” Jayden asked, concerned.“James helped us cut the line,” Deborah said.“Ha, the perks of being pregnant,” Jayden commented as they entered the house.Upon entering, Deborah saw the large painting in the living room, covered with a white sheet.“What’s this?” she asked, moving closer to uncover it and revealing a beautiful painting of a castle.“Do you like it?” Jayden asked, noticing his partner’s astonished expression.“Wow… so this is the famous painting,” Nicholas commented as he also approached to admire it.“Yes.”“It’s beautiful, my love,” Deborah said, carefully placing her hand on the canvas and noting the texture that made the painting feel more realistic despite the fantasy-l
“Excellent, in that case, let’s enjoy the food,” Brandon declared as more of his bodyguards entered to take the painting out of the house.Everyone then sat down to enjoy the burgers and fries.“By the way, Deborah, what a show that was at your ex-father-in-law’s party,” Brandon said, amused as he ate a fry. “And I suppose you’re not going to sell me that exclusive bracelet you were given, right?”“That’s right, I’m not selling it because it’s a special gift from my little brother.”“Well, if you change your mind, let me know, and I’ll give you a very generous amount for that bracelet.”“I doubt that will happen, but thanks, I’ll keep it in mind.”“Great, and I’ll definitely look into buying the place from the owners of that restaurant because I’m getting addicted to this flavor… or maybe I’ll ask them to sell me the recipe,” he said, amused and thoughtful.“Enough already! Please, just give us the information we asked for,” Nicholas said, slamming his hands on the table, eager
Deborah was in shock at that declaration.“What…” was all she could manage to say, her gaze falling back on the photos as tears began to well up in her eyes.“Hey, kid, how sure are you about this information?” Nicholas asked. “I don’t doubt your skills, but part of me refuses to believe it.”“Don’t worry, your doubt doesn’t offend me, because this does sound insane,” Brandon began, snapping his fingers. One of his bodyguards approached and handed a folder to the older man. “Here are copies of all the receipts for the payments made to LONITÉ, from the reception of the body to the delivery of the diamonds. Frederick ordered that the ashes be divided into three diamonds, one for himself as a ring and one for his wife as earrings,” Brandon explained, taking a sip of his drink. “In fact, it was an unusual order that many of the old workers still remember because it was the first time they had divided ashes. Usually, only one diamond is made, and that jewel is turned into a pendant with
“What’s wrong, Nicholas?”“Yes… now it all makes sense,” Nicholas said, frowning and clenching his fists.“What’s wrong, Dad?”“See… the other time, the detective discovered that Frederick and his wife, when cornered, started having hallucinations,” he began explaining. “From those videos they were recorded in, it seemed like they were arguing with someone even though they were alone. But now, with what this kid told us, it all makes sense because they’re carrying Alexandra’s body with them.”“Does that mean Alexandra's soul is tormenting them?” Jayden asked uncertainly. “Um… well, I suppose it makes some sense since she didn’t get a proper eternal rest.”Deborah only grimaced, feeling the anxiety return as she realized that these bastards had been flaunting her mother’s body like a vile trophy all this time. “I… want to get her back,” she said quietly, clenching her fists tightly.“Don’t worry, Debbie, we’ll get her back,” Nicholas said, embracing her.That night, Deborah could
The screams in Frederick’s cell alerted all the guards, as it seemed he was being attacked. However, upon arrival, they found that he was hitting himself and appeared to be under the effects of some drug or something similar.Six officers managed to restrain Frederick so that the paramedic with them could sedate him and check his vital signs. They examined him for any indication of psychotropic drug use since he was acting as if under such effects… but there was nothing.Due to the commotion, Christian and the detective went to see what had happened in the cell.“What happened?” the detective asked upon entering the cell and seeing Frederick sprawled on the floor.“I think he had another hysterical attack,” the doctor reported. “For a moment, I thought someone drugged him, but there are no residues or anything like that.”“I understand, thanks for your work,” the detective said, turning to look at Frederick on the floor.He then noticed the ring Frederick was wearing and approach
After gathering everything they needed from Vanessa, the police entered and sedated her to calm her down.“And done,” the detective said, handing the earrings to Christian, who stored them along with the ring. “Now we’ll keep these in…”“I hope you’re not stealing my clients’ few belongings,” just then, Frederick’s lawyer, an older man with black hair, arrived.“Not at all. We’re just collecting evidence based on the new findings in this case,” the detective replied casually while shaking the lawyer’s hands.“Evidence? Of what kind?” the lawyer asked, annoyed, trying to take the box containing the jewels from Christian, but the latter moved quickly.“That’s confidential, but I can tell you it’s related to the murder of Miss Alexandra Anderson,” Christian said, handing the box to the detective.“Again with that? That old woman died in a car accident because she was drunk.”“Speak with more respect, lawyer, as it has already been proven that Miss Alexandra was not under the influe
The lawyer ensured that the room was private, without cameras or microphones, to question his clients about the jewelry, as he hadn’t been informed about them.“Wake up,” he began calling out once he confirmed they were completely alone.Seeing how they didn’t wake up, he took the bottle of water given to him, opened it, and threw its contents on the couple.“Ah, what…” Vanessa complained, feeling her clothes get wet.“What’s wrong with you? Why are you soaking us?” Frederick shouted angrily.“Finally, you’re awake,” the lawyer said. “Well, hurry up. We don’t have time for small talk since you’re about to be transferred to prison, so—”“What?!” the couple exclaimed in shock.“I don’t want to go to jail,” Vanessa said anxiously.“Idiot, didn’t I tell you to use everything to avoid this?” Frederick said.“I did, but that kid is faster at finding the supposedly nonexistent clues to your crimes,” the lawyer said, bored. “By the way, is it true?”“What are you talking about?” Fred
Extra 40: A Happy and Perfect Life Part 2That promise came to an end for one of them three years later, as Nicholas was the first to go due to his heart, which began to fail until it simply stopped beating one cold December morning.Despite the immense pain she felt, Deborah fulfilled her father’s last wish… so they buried him with the diamond pendant that had belonged to her mother and grandfather.It was a very sad time, and everyone came together to keep Deborah from falling apart, as she now felt alone, as though she had lost her family again.But her children reminded her that she wasn’t alone, and because of this, they tried to distract her by having her organize the Christmas party.The days continued to pass, and just when they were preparing for James’ wedding, Eric and Samantha Cooper passed away due to old age.That was news that covered all the media outlets, with the headline telling a beautiful love story, as they had gone to sleep together and passed away to the n
Extra 40: A Happy and Perfect Life Part 1Time began to pass quickly, bringing good, bad, and sad moments that gradually changed the family.One good thing that happened was that after much reflection, Roger managed to make peace with his father, asking for forgiveness for all the stupid things he had done when he was younger. He also apologized to his little brother for being such a jerk.Even though he didn’t want to, Elliot reluctantly accepted the apologies because his wife convinced him that holding onto grudges wasn’t healthy.Unfortunately, the Peterson family only got to celebrate being united for a short period of time because two weeks after that reconciliation… George passed away of natural causes.That was a tragic moment for everyone, one that shook his friends, reminding them of how precious and short life is. Those who suffered the most from the loss of their Grandpa George were Howard and Fiona. But their parents, uncles, and maternal grandparents showered them wit
Extra 39: Deborah and JamesAfter lunch, and taking advantage of when his father taking his little siblings to their extracurricular activities, James sought out his mom to talk with her.“Mom,” he called out when he saw her in her study, reading some papers.“Hey, come in,” she said, looking up and setting aside the documents for a moment.“More work?”“Not exactly. These are the reports of the current buildings for sale in the city.”“Huh… are you already looking into that?”“Well, son, your sister graduates next year, and a year is not a lot of time to start a company from scratch.”“Will it already be furnished for her?” he asked, taking the documents to read them.“Yes, that’s why I want to buy a warehouse to remodel or a vacant lot so you and your dad can work your magic to build it and make it just like Elizabeth wants.”“It’s a project I can’t wait to start,” James said excitedly.“Your little siblings are also helping me, looking into sewing stores to buy industrial
Extra 38: A Father’s FearsHonestly, it was a strange conversation for James, one he never thought he’d have… in fact, not even in his wildest dreams did he imagine having this kind of interaction with the man who was supposedly his biological father.After telling him a bit about his school life, James paid the bill and said goodbye to Roger, as he had to get back to the office; he didn’t want to be away from work for too long.When he entered the conference room, he saw his father talking to some other architects.“Great, we’re all set then,” Jayden said, dismissing them. “Son, how did it go?” he asked as James approached him.“Fine, but it was weird.”“So... has he started to feel his age?”“I think so,” James replied, making a face.“And what did he want?”“Well, he just started talking to me, apologizing for being absent, and now he wants us to meet up to talk because he wants to get to know me,” James said, scratching his head. “I don’t know… it seemed odd that he wants
Extra 37: A Late Talk Part 2“Wow, sorry for the confusion.”“Don’t worry about it. My family supported me, and thanks to learning the truth, I understood why we had three grandfathers.”“I imagine you became an architect because of Jayden.”“That’s right. My motivation was seeing how his drawings came to life… it excited me to the point where I wanted to do the same, and as the days went by, that desire grew stronger, so I decided to make it a reality,” he said, his excitement evident in his words. “Though I also saw that Uncle did something similar by turning his sketches into beautiful jewelry, but that didn’t impress me as much.”“I see, but didn’t my dad teach you the basics of the company?”“Yes, Grandpa showed me the trade,” James said with a smile. “In fact, I’m a good appraiser, and I know how to make jewelry because Uncle also taught me the basics of jewelry design and creation. But I see that as a hobby because the only jewelry I’ve made has been for my mom, my sisters
Extra 37: A Late Talk Part 1“I’ll ask you again. What are you doing here?” James questioned, frowning slightly.“James… I…” Roger stammered nervously, his words catching in his throat and refusing to come out.“Are you here to apologize on behalf of your daughter?”“Something like that,” he said, finally managing to speak, though he made a face. “Would you let me talk to you?”“To me?” James asked, confused, pointing to himself. “About what?”“Can I invite you for a drink so we can talk?”“What do you want with my son?” At that moment, Roger saw his longtime rival approaching and standing next to the young man.“Jayden, please let me talk to James,” Roger pleaded.The now platinum-blonde looked confused at his rival. It was the first time Roger had called him by his name, and he could see that Roger seemed genuinely sorry and defeated. Jayden let out a sigh. “James, go with him.”“What?” James looked at him, surprised and confused.“Are you serious?” Roger said, a note of h
Extra 36: Late Regrets Part 2The next morning, during breakfast, Roger was focused on his phone, determined to reach out to James and be the one to make the first contact.“Hey, Dad,” Cassandra called out, trying to get his attention, noticing he was more focused on his phone than his breakfast.“What is it?” Roger asked, looking up.“Well... hey, what are we going to do about last night?”“What?” he said with a frown.“Come on, Dad, aren’t you going to do something about Grandpa and—”“Casandra, enough... I think whatever happened last night should have made the situation clear.”“But…”“They no longer see me as family, and they never recognized you as such, so just forget about it because it’s only the three of us, no one else.”“No…”“Cassandra, enough,” her mother scolded. “I told you yesterday not to go, and all you did was humiliate yourselves in public,” she said, looking her daughter in the eyes. “Grow up already. You lost that boy because you chased something that
Extra 36: Late Regrets Part 1Roger didn’t return home for the rest of the night. He ignored the cries of his ‘daughter’ as he headed to the nearest bar to have a drink and try to clear his mind.Seeing his father defeated and exhausted had made him stop and think.While sipping his third beer, he raised his gaze and saw his reflection in the mirror behind the bar, realizing that an old man was staring back at him... which scared him. He now looked at his hands, which had more wrinkles than he remembered. When had he changed so much?His once beautiful hair was now streaked with gray, his face showed his age, and he had dark circles under his dull eyes.When had he gotten so old?And why did he look like this?He was supposed to age gracefully, but that wasn’t the case... because what he saw in that mirror was a shell of the successful man he once was.He thought back to James. That boy had surpassed him in height; he was the version of himself Roger had always wanted to be: ta
Extra 35: Total BreakElliot was furious to see Roger and his daughter at the party.“Why did you hurt my daughter?” Roger hadn’t recognized James and just wanted to help his princess. “Who do you think you are…?” Then he saw James and, how could he not recognize him? He was Roger’s spitting image, giving the latter the same hateful look Roger himself wore.“I should ask you the same thing, sir. Who do you think you are, crashing a private event?” James asked.Roger was about to respond, but…“What’s the meaning of this?” George asked, approaching them.“Grandpa, they attacked me, and…” Cassandra started to say.“Miss, don’t call my grandpa ‘Grandpa,’” declared Howard.“Tom, call security,” Eric ordered. “Get these two out of the party.”Among the guests, a blond young man recognized Cassandra but didn’t go to help her because his parents didn’t allow it. They didn’t want to end up caught in the middle of the problem and become collateral damage, nor did they want to fall out