After dinner, Deborah asked her in-laws if they could look after James so that she and Jayden could have a private night together.That night was a passionate one for Jayden and Deborah as they enjoyed the new lingerie she had bought. Since it was the first time they had been intimate since James was born, they stayed up until the early morning.The next morning, after breakfast, the family set off for their appointment with the wedding planner."Good morning," the wedding planner's secretary greeted them. "Do you have an appointment?""Good morning, yes, it's under Samantha Cooper.""Uh... oh... the Coopers," the secretary said, suddenly standing up, looking flustered. "Yes... yes, please come in," he said, guiding them to a specially prepared room. "I'll let my boss know you've arrived. In the meantime, please feel free to enjoy everything that was prepared for you."James cooed as he looked around in awe at everything in the room."I agree, son," Jayden said, equally impresse
For some reason, Deborah and Jayden felt like kids taking an oral exam. David suddenly became very serious. Tablet in hand, he began grilling them about their preferences—everything from their favorite flowers, colors, flavors, and scents to preferred fabrics and textures.“And the final question: sweet, bitter, or spicy?” David asked, looking up at the couple.“Uh... sweet,” Jayden answered hesitantly, feeling the question was a bit ambiguous.“Citrus bitter,” Deborah said thoughtfully.“Citrus?” Jayden repeated, looking into her eyes.“Yes, why?” she asked as they both started laughing.“Oh, never mind. So, what’s the purpose of this interrogation?”“Yeah, I’m wondering the same thing: what’s the point of these questions?”“They’re to help me get to know you better,” David explained, finishing his notes on his tablet. “And even though it might seem a bit silly, these are important questions for me because they’re a good foundation for making decisions and choices.”“Like wha
After finishing his calls, David led the family to the special venue he had in mind. It wasn't the site Eric had chosen, but there were no complaints because the couple was impressed the moment they saw the facade.They arrived just as Nicholas did, who joined the family in exploring the venue.The place was an old house that had been remodeled to be rented out for events, retaining its original architectural charm. It had a spacious parking lot, a covered party hall that could hold about 700 people, a large, fully-equipped kitchen, and a garden that could accommodate up to 1,500 guests or be used to set up a big stage for a band or a large dance floor.The exterior featured a garden filled with roses of various colors and sizes, along with weeping willows that added a magical touch to the landscape, as well as several strategically placed fountains, benches, and atriums for guests to enjoy nature.But what completely won the couple over was the second floor of the main house, whic
“Dad?” Deborah and Jayden had just returned from their walk and were shocked to see Nicholas crying. Deborah rushed over to hug him. “What happened? Are you okay?”“Oh, I’m fine,” Nicholas replied, trying to dry his tears.“Sir...” David quickly handed him a handkerchief. “I’m sorry if I said something offensive, I...”“Not at all, young man. You just reminded me of something beautiful.”“What happened?” Jayden asked, concerned as he approached his mother.“David mentioned wanting to talk to Alexandra about how she wants to decorate the church for our daughter’s wedding,” Nicholas explained, tearing up again.Deborah, hearing this, began to cry as she hugged her father.David, now unsure of what was happening, saw Jayden approach and pat his right shoulder.“David, I don’t think you’ll be able to chat with my mother-in-law because she passed away a long time ago,” Jayden said, pointing toward the sky.“Oh... God, I’m so sorry, I...”“Don’t worry, David, you didn’t know, and y
Now that the important locations were secured, the wedding felt more real than ever, and of course, the reporters quickly caught wind of the venues since paying the full amount wasn’t something just anyone could do. Everyone close to the couple was excited to hear them talk about the wedding preparations. With the news that the wedding plans were moving forward, two specific people sought out Deborah and Jayden to ‘ask-demand’ that they be involved in the wedding. Interestingly, one of those people showed up that morning at Deborah’s office. Deborah was discussing some pending matters with her father about new investments and stock market movements, as they needed to take advantage of buying and selling low-cost shares that had the potential to increase in value in the future. “Look, Debbie, these shares are promising,” Nicholas began. “They’re from a tree company, and we know what’s coming up soon.” “Hmm... they’ll increase in value in a few months, which could help us,” s
“These frames have some beautiful letterhead designs,” Deborah said, admiring the sheets displayed on the wall.“Look at this one, love,” Jayden said, pointing to a frame that featured a design with rubber ducks riding waves on little boats.“Waa!” James got excited when he saw the picture and tried to reach for it.“I agree, son, it’s a cute design,” Deborah said.“Looks like we found the perfect invitation for his birthday,” Samantha commented. “And it fits the season of his birthday perfectly.”“Good afternoon,” said a woman entering the room, carrying several sample books.“Good afternoon,” the family greeted in return, taking seats around the table.“I see you like the specials,” the woman said, pointing to the wall.“Specials?” Deborah asked.“Yes, these sheets are the most requested designs by our clients,” she explained as she began opening the sample books. “David mentioned you’re looking for wedding invitations, so I brought the models we currently offer. But if none
“Yes, he’s starting to cause trouble,” Deborah said with a sigh.“Well, at least that little mishap turned out well,” Caroline commented.“Although because of that, we’re keeping a closer eye on James, especially since his teeth are starting to come in—everything goes straight into his mouth.”“Poor thing, his gums must be itching.”“Yes, in fact, we’ve started applying that special cream today to help ease the pain.”“In that case, he’ll love my gift,” Caroline said, happily showing the paper bag she had brought and handing it over.“Wow... he’ll definitely love it,” Deborah said as she saw that it was a set of soft plastic rattles filled with water for James to chew on.“And tell me, when are you going to see your dress? I want to go with you.”“Actually, you beat me to it—I was going to call you this afternoon to ask if you could come with me this Friday to look at the dress.”“I’d love to!” Caroline exclaimed, thrilled. “What time?”“My appointment is at 11.”“Perfect, I
With each passing day, James was growing up quickly, showing it not just in his size but also in how he was gradually developing his own personality.At the moment, James was going through his first “rebellious phase,” as the grandparents called it. Now at six months old, he was more aware of his surroundings and often tried to put everything he touched into his mouth to relieve the terrible itching in his gums.That morning, he woke up as usual, simply opening his eyes without crying and starting to babble while grabbing one of the toys around him.“Ah... bl...” he babbled to himself while gnawing on a stuffed bear. But then he felt someone watching him, so he began looking around until he found those blue eyes he loved so much, which made him light up with excitement.“Good morning, little one,” Deborah said, noticing the slightly cheeky behavior of her son.Upon hearing his mother’s voice, James immediately dropped his toy and reached out to be picked up.Deborah laughed at hi
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