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
Friday had arrived—it was a big day and Jayden was feeling particularly sad because he couldn’t accompany the ladies to pick out the wedding dress.“But why does it have to be a secret from me? We’re already married,” Jayden complained, pouting.“Because I said so, and I’m your mother,” Samantha declared firmly.“But...”“Son, listen to your mother. Besides, it’s better if you leave it as a surprise so you can get emotional when you see her in the dress at the altar,” Eric advised.“That’s right, Jayden. You can’t see it,” Nicholas said as he held James.“But...”“Jayden, I promise it’ll be worth the wait,” Caroline said, having arrived with her uncle at the house to go with them.“And besides, son, I need your help with the company inventory.”“Fine...” Jayden said, reluctantly giving in.Deborah approached and kissed him on the lips. “I’ll make it up to you later, okay?”“Well, if you put it that way, I’m convinced. But remember to choose the best one.”“That’s why she’s
The wedding was slowly taking shape, but preparations were put on hold for something even more important: the Cooper family’s famous Haunted House event. This annual event was well-known in the city, inviting children and teenagers to come and enjoy a day of spooky fun.“I imagine they’ve paused the wedding plans for the big Halloween event,” one reporter commented.“This event is actually more exciting because it will be the first one organized by Deborah,” another reporter added.“I’m already eager to see how it turns out.”“Everyone is curious to see if this year’s event will live up to the grand creations made by her mother-in-law, or... if it will be a total disappointment.”“We’ll find out in a few days.”“Thanks for adding more pressure,” Deborah muttered with a grimace, letting out a sigh as she turned off the TV and refocused on her organization plan.James was sitting in his chair, keeping her company.“You know, James, I envy you. You just have to wear a costume and
“Really?” Deborah now looked happy and confident.“I loved your idea of starting the event with the children making their own candy bags,” Eric said. “That way, we can see each child’s creativity.”“We can tell you put a lot of thought into this and considered many little details that turn out to be the most important ones,” Jayden added.“Well, that’s something I do at work—consider all angles before investing,” she said, feeling very pleased with the compliments.“It shows, my love.”“And I think we can make this a new tradition for the beginning of all our events because sometimes there were kids who didn’t bring a candy bag, and it was sad to see them not taking as much candy as they wanted because they couldn’t carry it,” Samantha added, grimacing as she recalled that fact.“Well, since it’s such an important event, it’s better to have extra bags. I saw online that there are many tutorials for making them with recycled materials, or even complex ones made with fabric.”The
The big day had arrived, and the decorations around the house were terrifying—in the best way possible. From the facade to the interior, every inch was covered in spooky décor that amazed both young and old. Even the reporters were giving glowing reviews, commenting on all the various setups and interviewing families who had come to enjoy the night.The haunted house, in particular, lived up to the expectations of even the toughest teenagers. A long line had formed to enter, and those who emerged were visibly excited.“Whoa… that was scary,” some teenagers exclaimed as they exited the haunted house.“Again?”“Yes!!!”Hearing these comments made Samantha and Eric smile. They had always dreamed of having a big family, but fate had only allowed them one child. When they tried for a second, they were met with the cruel news that it would not be possible, leaving a void in their hearts. To fill that void, they had poured all their love and attention into their little Jayden.They coul
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