Samantha smiled as she watched the photo develop in her hands."I told you, son. The right person would come along at the perfect moment, someone who would love and accept you for who you are, with all your hobbies and quirks," she whispered, looking through the doorway at Jayden and Deborah, who were already having fun building the flowers.Her thoughts drifted back to that afternoon when she had talked to her son about this very issue.-Flashback-It was a hot afternoon, and Samantha had just returned from a meeting when she heard a loud crash, which startled even the servants in the house.The noise came from Jayden’s playroom, so she forgot about her fatigue and rushed to see what had happened."Son, what... what happened here?" she asked, frightened, seeing her son crying and his castle, which had taken him a week to build, lying shattered on the floor."I don’t want it anymore..." Jayden said through sniffs, pointing at his toys while trying to hold back his tears."What…
The days continued to pass, and the time for baby James’s arrival was drawing near.As a result, Jayden was busier than ever, juggling between pampering his beautiful wife, overseeing the final details of the hotel, and supervising the changes in their house. He wanted to add some special touches to surprise Deborah and make life more comfortable for their new family.That morning, he arrived at the mansion to check out how all the interior renovations had turned out."Good morning, Jayden" Samantha greeted him as she supervised the unloading of some new plants she had ordered."Good morning, Mom. What’s all this? I thought we were finished," he said, noticing the new plants, wood, and some grass."It is finished. This is just a little detail I wanted to add for my precious daughter," she said excitedly. "I want to create a space in the garden where she can relax with my grandson," she explained, showing him a sketch she had made."I know Debbie will love your gift, Mom.""Thank
"Thank you so much for this, ma’am. I thought the company was lost when Frederick declared himself CEO and started selling off the company’s shares.""We tried to save as much as we could because we discovered his intentions to sell off the furniture to make a quick buck," another man explained."Thank you, everyone,” said Deborah."You don’t need to thank us. We loved your grandfather and mother very much. They always supported and treated us well.""I... I want to see this place return to what it was before," Deborah declared. "That’s why, with my father’s support, we will bring the company back to its former glory.""Yes!" everyone cheered, excited."We’ll get our clients back and defeat our rivals," Deborah continued, motivating her people. "And now, we won’t need to hide anymore. We’re going to bring back the great Anderson Group."Deborah’s words thrilled both old and new employees. This was what they had been hoping for, and now that they no longer had to work in the shad
The next morning, the couple took a break from work to focus on the move since the mansion was ready.They also got some help with a few changes Deborah wanted to make in her existing house for Nicholas’s comfort."You know, now that I think about it, it was a good idea to have all the new things we bought sent straight to the mansion, so we don’t have much to pack," Jayden said with a chuckle as he packed his clothes into a suitcase."I told you, and yet you doubted me," she teased while packing her computer and office supplies into a cardboard box."Yeah, I get it. I was wrong," Jayden admitted with a grin. "By the way, love, what are you going to do about your online job?""Huh? What do you mean?""I mean, yesterday when I picked you up, you seemed really happy and comfortable in that office.""I think I’ll write my resignation letter this month because the visit yesterday reminded me of the feeling of excitement I used to feel from keeping an eye on the markets, making inves
With the move complete, the couple was starting to settle into their new home, which also meant getting used to the staff who worked there.For Deborah, this was a bit strange. She had grown accustomed to doing everything herself because Frederick and Vanessa’s servants had always taken pleasure in tormenting her. When money started to run out, they only kept a few staff members who worked limited hours, cleaning the house, cooking, and doing laundry for their employers before leaving. And of course, they were instructed to ignore the mute outsider.Jayden and the Coopers quickly noticed Deborah’s distant attitude toward the staff. She seemed to tense up slightly whenever someone offered to help her.Before this became a bigger issue, Jayden decided to talk to her about it.When he got home from work, he was informed that she was in the kitchen, so he went to see her."My love, what are you doing?" Jayden asked when he saw that she was trying to cook, despite the chef and his assi
Now that Deborah was feeling more comfortable with the staff around her, Jayden felt more at ease because they were in the final stretch of the pregnancy, and James could arrive at any moment. It was a relief to know that if it happened at home, she wouldn’t be alone.For that reason, Deborah now had two bodyguard-assistant-nurse-caregivers: they were basically everything she might need as an expectant mother, accompanying her when she went out or when she went to the office. But to Deborah, they felt more like new friends.Her bodyguards’ names were Danielle and Max, assigned to assist her in case James decided to make his grand entrance while she was at the office, as they sometimes joked."Ma’am, I brought the tray of strawberries you asked for," Danielle announced excitedly as she entered the office. She was a young woman with blue hair."And don’t forget to take your vitamins," Max, a young man with long black hair tied in a braid, reminded her."Thank you both," Deborah said
"This is the place," Max said, helping Deborah out of the vehicle and into the shop."We’ll check out the displays," Danielle said."Yeah, I won’t take long," Max replied, heading to the counter and pulling out his pawn ticket.The women began browsing the store, unaware that they were being watched.Roger had slowly adjusted to his new life routine, and during this time alone, he had reflected on all his past actions... leading to a long list of apologies owed to those he had hurt, especially Deborah.He was waiting for the right moment to reach out to his father and brother, knowing they were busy. But with Deborah, the situation was different because he had no way of contacting her.But today seemed like the day, as she walked into his store.He was surprised, but what stood out most, aside from her round belly, were the two people accompanying her.He cautiously approached them, noting how much Deborah had changed. She was smiling, and her demeanor was completely different
After leaving Roger, the trio returned home."No joke, that chocolate bread was delicious," Danielle said, licking her lips as her boss had ordered several to share."Right? It’s a place I used to frequent with my friend when I was a student, and it seems they’ve kept the original recipes," Deborah said as she sipped her juice."The good thing is that guy didn’t take up too much of our time," Max said as he drove."Don’t worry, I never planned to stay and chat with him for long, and thanks for being with me."The siblings smiled and continued chatting with her until they arrived at the mansion.When they reached the entrance, they noticed Jayden was already waiting for them."Hello, gorgeous," he said as he opened the car door to help her out."Hello, handsome," she replied with a smile. "And what brings you home early?""We finished up quickly.""Liar.""What?""You’re here because a couple of little birds told you what happened.""No...""Mhm," she hummed, amused."Wel
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