“Don’t look at me; technically, your fight is with Debbie,” Jayden quickly said.“In that case, let’s make our bet and leave them to sort things out,” Brandon suggested, pulling a clown mask from his clothes.“Fine, this time, I’ll make you scream like a girl,” Jayden said, adjusting his zombie mask.And with that, they headed off to the straw maze, where the others were waiting for their nighttime scare game, leaving the two women alone to talk in private.“Um… Deborah…" Sophia began, noticing that Deborah still looked angry.“Come, let’s get something to drink,” Deborah suggested, moving towards the area where they were packing up the food that had been offered to the children. She grabbed two bottles of juice and handed one to the blonde.“Thanks,” Sophia said, accepting the juice.“You know, Sophia, I hated you from the moment I met you because of everything you did.”Sophia grimaced at that.“And you three didn’t stop hurting me until I said enough, and even then, you tri
The Halloween event was a huge success, with everyone buzzing about the various themes and the trending videos that captured the funny moments people had experienced there.What Deborah loved most was the following day when they delivered the leftover gifts and candy to the orphanage.It was a home that the Coopers had long cared for, and while the children there may not have lived in luxury, it was clear that they were in a warm and loving environment as they waited to be adopted. The home was supported by several foundations that provided medical, dental, and vision care for the children.“You know, love, I’m going to create something special for them,” Deborah commented as they said goodbye to the kids.“And I know you will. If you want, you can help us pick out their gifts because we do a Secret Santa with them for Christmas.”“Yes, I’d love to help.”"Ah… bl…"“Are you going to help us too, son?” Deborah asked, doting on James.“In that case, we need to buy James his elf o
“Ah…” James squealed with delight.“No, James,” Deborah said.“He already broke it, love,” Jayden said, amused.“James, flowers are for admiring and smelling, not for crushing.”“Ah!” James now whined because the white petals wouldn’t stay in place.“You broke it, son. That’s why it won’t go back to normal,” Jayden explained with a smile, seeing the pout on his son’s face.James held up the stem to his mom.“But you broke it, sweetie,” Deborah said, seeing that he was about to cry because he wanted his flower back.“Aww… how sweet,” David said, watching the little one’s tantrum.“Ta-da, it’s done,” the shop owner announced, showing them the completed centerpiece.“Waa…” James cooed.“I agree with my son,” Jayden said.“I love it,” Deborah said, admiring all the details.“The square vase with these colored pebbles gives it a fishbowl feel, and the gel pearls help keep the crystals in place, creating the illusion that they’re floating in water,” David said, appreciating ever
Little by little, everything for the wedding was falling into place. Thankfully, they managed to sort out all the details before Christmas, which was a relief for the couple.During those days, Deborah received a message from Elliot, asking her to visit the company because the special rings they had ordered were ready.“You know, remembering his previous designs, I’m really excited to see what he’s done for us,” Jayden said as they drove to the Peterson company.“I’ll be happy with whatever he’s made, even if it’s just a simple ring,” Deborah replied.“Aww… That’s why I love you. Hey, since we’re here, why don’t we check out some other jewelry for you to wear on our big day?”“But you can only buy one thing.”“Huh? What? Why?” Jayden pouted.“Because, according to your mom and Caroline, it’s part of the tradition.”“Huh?”“For the wedding day, the bride must wear something new, something blue, something borrowed, and something old,” Deborah said.“Oh… right. I think I heard t
“Why a butterfly?” Jayden asked, examining his ring closely.“Well, you both made a significant change in your lives by coming together, and together, you’ll continue to transform your lives into something more beautiful and lasting,” Elliot explained.“That’s a beautiful thought, Elliot,” Deborah said.“It’s a lovely message, and wow… you’re really impressive, using those tiny diamonds to create the butterfly wings,” Jayden added, still admiring the intricate work.“Thank you. It did take a bit longer because I had to find the right pieces to create the wing design,” Elliot replied.“Elliot never ceases to amaze me. It’s very challenging to work with diamonds that small,” George said, his pride evident in his voice.“Hehe, you really do have a great talent, Elliot.”“Thanks, brother.”“Ooh… Gaa…”“Hehe, when you’re older, I’ll make you some jewelry too,” Elliot said, tickling the little one.“Hey, speaking of talent, can I cheat a little and see the jewelry you’re launching
And so, in the blink of an eye, December had arrived—a month that marked the end of the year. With it, Deborah and Jayden were busy wrapping up the final tasks at the company before their holiday break.They were so focused on this that they put everything related to the wedding on hold. The year-end account closures took priority, and, unfortunately, their parents agreed with them. However, they made them promise to pick up where they left off once the new year began.At that moment, Deborah was in her office, finishing up her review of several important investment accounts for the month. But after staring at numbers for so long, she started feeling dizzy and stood up to gaze at the sky for a while.As she watched the clouds drift by, she couldn’t help but reflect on everything that had happened up until now.For her, living through these moments felt like some kind of dream; after all, this year had brought about such a dramatic change compared to the last.She had divorced Roge
"Is that what’s most important?" Danielle asked, puzzled. "Booo… I thought you’d say the best part is having the boss as your husband now.""That’s just the icing on the cake," Deborah joked."What? I’m just an accessory?" The two women noticed Jayden entering the office. "That hurts, my love… sniff… how cruel," he said dramatically, covering his mouth to hide his smile."No, love, it’s just that—oh!" Deborah started, but as she approached him, he grabbed her by the waist, pulling her close, revealing the smile that had been playing on his lips. "Cheater.""I don’t know what you’re talking about," he said, giving her a kiss."Hehe, but I meant it—you're the one who completes me, you're my true happiness," she declared, kissing him again."Well, if you put it that way, I can’t stay mad.""Exactly, and by the way, what are you doing here?" she asked, glancing at the clock on the wall, noting that it was still work hours."Well, I was nearby because I came to check on… oh! You bea
That weekend, they finally finished their Christmas shopping with a visit to the ornament store to pick out the last few items needed to decorate the house.“And that’s it! We’ve got all the ornaments, tinsel, bells, ribbons, and everything else for the living room decorations,” Jayden said cheerfully as he finished loading the bags into the car.“You’re wrong about that, Jayden,” Deborah corrected him as she handed him the rest of the bags.“Wrong? About what?”“We still need to buy something very important.”“But... we already checked off everything on the list,” Jayden replied, puzzled, showing her the piece of paper where they had written down all the decorations they wanted.“I didn’t put this on the list. Come on,” Deborah said, helping him close the trunk before taking his hand and leading him toward a flower shop nearby.Jayden was a bit confused by her actions, knowing that natural flowers wouldn’t last long, but just as he was about to express his opinion, he saw her h
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