"No, of course not.""Then... why are you so insistent on being with me when you know I already have my own family?""But she's betraying you with her ex, and...""Whatever, that's not your problem," Jayden declared, standing up."Of course, it is, because I love you," she said desperately, grabbing his hands. "I care about you, and that's why I stepped in—I don't want to see you suffer.""And what about the suffering I went through when you left me over a tantrum? Doesn't that count?" he asked, pulling his hands away from hers."That's exactly why I want to protect you and—""Protect him, or the Cooper fortune that could save you from bankruptcy?" At that moment, a voice startled Marie.When she looked toward the entrance of the house, she saw Deborah walking in."You... what are you doing here?""Obviously, protecting my husband from a gold-digger like you," Deborah said."And also making sure you don't get any ideas about my family's money," Samantha added as she entered
As they watched Marie being arrested, everyone let out a sigh of relief.“Finally...” Samantha said. “It’s over.”“Yeah... unless...?” Deborah began, turning to look Jayden in the eyes.“What?” he asked, a little nervous.“There aren’t any more crazy ex-girlfriends, are there?”“Don’t worry, there aren’t,” he replied, taking her hand and pulling her into a hug. “After her, I didn’t get involved with anyone else. I wanted to focus on my studies and my passion for construction.”“That’s true, dear, I can confirm that,” Samantha added.“Well, in that case, yes... it’s finally over,” Deborah said, lifting her face to kiss Jayden on the lips.“By the way, how did they behave?” Jayden asked.“In the end, it was clear that Isabelle was out of her mind. She didn’t hesitate to throw her grandson to the ground,” Deborah said with a grimace.“What...” Samantha said, horrified. “But... why?”“For a narcissistic reason.”“What do you mean?” Samantha and Jayden asked.“She said it was b
“Really?” Deborah asked, confused.“Yes,” Samantha said, amused.“And I’ll help,” Caroline added excitedly.“Hey! What are you all hiding from me?” Deborah demanded, realizing she was the only one not in on the plan.“You’ll find out tomorrow,” they all replied in unison.This made Deborah a bit nervous, but then she laughed, seeing how everyone had gone to great lengths to keep the surprise from her.Since the weather was nice, they decided to stay at Caroline and Christian’s house that night to celebrate finally giving those women the lesson they deserved.They ordered food and called Eric and Nicholas to join the celebration.Since they ended up staying late, Jayden and Deborah decided to spend the night at Nicholas’s to avoid moving James. It was also so that the little one could spend his first night at his grandpa’s house.The next morning, Deborah woke up a bit late, noticing she was alone in the room. When she went out to look for everyone, she didn’t get any answers.
“What...” Deborah was stunned, taking a closer look at the place and noticing that the unknown man was the judge.“I think this is the best way to celebrate the closure of our pasts, don’t you think?” Jayden said, taking her hand.“You’re right; it’s the perfect way to celebrate.”“By the way, you look stunning,” he said, giving her a flirtatious look.“Thanks,” Caroline replied, making the couple laugh.“Darling...” Christian scolded her for interrupting the romantic moment.“What? I put all the magic into Debbie’s outfit: the clothes, accessories, makeup, and hairstyle,” Caroline declared proudly.“And she’s right,” Jayden said, making her smile.James cooed at the sight of his mom’s earrings and tried to grab them.“No, darling,” Deborah said, pulling away a bit and holding his little hands to kiss them while listening to his laughter.“He’s drawn to the color,” Samantha noted, seeing him try to grab them again.“Yes,” Deborah said, smiling.“Ahem...” the judge cleared h
“Got it,” Christian said.“Are you ready?” the judge asked. When Jayden and Deborah nodded as they approached him, the judge said, “Then let’s begin.”Nicholas, Eric, and Samantha also approached, handing the necessary documents to the judge for the registration. After placing their signatures and seals, the registration was complete.“Well, young man, you are now officially James Cooper,” the judge declared, looking at the little one.“Yay! I’m officially your dad now,” Jayden said, lifting his son slightly and kissing him on the cheek, making James laugh.“And this calls for a celebration,” Samantha declared.“Congratulations, sir and madam,” Max and Danielle said, clapping and setting off a confetti cannon.James was thrilled to see the colorful pieces falling from the sky and tried to catch them with his hands.“Thank you very much, Judge,” Eric said, approaching to shake his hand while taking the documents to store them safely.“And now let’s go have a celebratory brunch,
When the press found out about the big event, they grew excited and eager to learn the details of the civil wedding.They wanted to know everything, from the clothes the couple wore, the guest list, where it took place, and everything that happened that day... but unfortunately, no one knew anything as it was a discreet wedding.This saddened the entertainment reporters a little, though their sadness didn’t last long because a little birdie informed them after the private ceremony, there would be a grander celebration open to a larger crowd for the reporters to cover if they wished.With that explanation, everyone was now excited, trying to find out any details to satisfy the curiosity of the gossip-hungry audience. But so far, they haven’t had the chance to interview the newlyweds. Still, they didn’t lose hope of getting some details in advance.Perhaps it was just their luck that there was a lack of action leading up to the day of the grand celebration—Jayden rested at home, and
Deborah didn’t fully understand what was happening, but she let Samantha lead the way. After a few minutes of driving, they arrived at the mall.“And what are we going to buy?” Deborah asked as they entered, but she suddenly felt Samantha and Danielle link their arms around each of hers.“You’re about to find out,” Samantha said. “And look, I conveniently brought Eric’s and Jayden’s credit cards to buy whatever we want,” she added, revealing two black corporate credit cards in her hand.“What...” Deborah stared in astonishment.“And look here, ma’am,” Danielle said, pulling another black card from her pocket. “Your father sent this additional card for you to buy anything you want,” she declared, slipping it into Deborah’s blouse pocket.“Um... thanks, but it’s not necessary to use this money. I also have my own credit card, and...”“Don’t worry, dear, it’s good to have reinforcements because we don’t know how much we’ll spend today.”“Wait... what? Are we using all four cards?”
The shopping afternoon turned out to be excellent therapy, as Samantha made sure Deborah bought everything: from a doll she had always wanted as a child to high-end clothes that caught her eye.Samantha was thrilled to see Deborah enjoying herself. She was just like Jayden, getting more excited about buying the toys she had once wished for than the clothes and accessories.Deborah almost perfectly followed the rule of only thinking about herself, but in the end, she bought gifts for her companions and found something special to bring back to the rest of her family.They finished shopping just as the sun was setting, so they decided to head home to have dinner with the family.“Jayden, your mom just texted me—they’re on their way home for dinner.”“Yay, did you hear that, James? Mommy’s almost here.”James happily waved his hands, mimicking his dad’s excitement.Just then, they heard the car pulling up, so they went outside to greet them.As they opened the door, they saw Daniel