Everyone eagerly scattered through the garden, following their maps to tackle their first challenges. The only one with a personal attendant was Caroline, who had a servant with her in case she needed help or a wheelchair.Jayden was the first to reach his assigned spot.“Let’s see…” he said, glancing at his map. “This should be the place. Ah, there you are!” he said, spotting David’s assistant standing next to a white table with some papers.“Welcome, Blue Team,” the assistant greeted, calling him by his ribbon color. “At this station, we only have riddles for the players.”“Okay, bring it on,” Jayden said, excited.“Here’s the riddle: Two ducks are in front of a duck, two ducks are behind a duck, and one duck is in the middle. How many ducks are there?”Jayden stood there, stunned. “What…”“Here,” the assistant said, handing him a card with the riddle written on it. “You have three tries, or you can ask for help.”“No, I can figure it out,” Jayden said, pouting slightly as he
The next morning, everyone was divided.The men were taken to the annex for breakfast and to pass the time until it was time to get dressed, while the women stayed in the main mansion.“Good morning,” David greeted. “Gentlemen, after breakfast, my assistants will arrive with your clothes and special equipment for anyone who wants help with makeup and hairstyling.”“I’ll take that. I want to get rid of my dark circles,” Christian said, stifling a yawn.“Long night?” Jayden asked.“Yeah… sorry.”“Don’t worry, we’ve all been there,” George said.“I’m just starting to experience it,” Elliot said.“Just wait. But… I stayed up a bit late trying to finish work so I could at least enjoy these two days off and rest a bit more,” the dark-haired man said, stretching.“We all went through that phase, but once you see your company gaining momentum, you’ll realize it was all worth it,” Eric said.“Now is the time for sleepless nights, but in a few years, you’ll be reaping the rewards of yo
Between chatting, some jokes, and demolishing tower after tower of blocks, the girls finally finished getting ready.Naturally, the gentlemen were the first to head off to the church.As soon as they left, David rushed to check on the girls.“Ladies, hurry up!” he called as he entered the house. “We’ll be leaving in five minutes, so just a few last touches and—wow, Deborah!” he exclaimed when he saw her in her wedding dress. “You look stunning. That dress is gorgeous on you.”“It was worth the wait. Now she looks spectacular in a dress she loves,” Samantha commented. “Even if she had worn a dress with my little grandson still inside her, she would have looked beautiful.”“But she wouldn’t be able to enjoy the toast,” Caroline said.Deborah and David exchanged a glance at that comment.“By the way, Caroline,” David said, moving closer to admire Deborah’s face, “if you don’t mind, could I have your business card? Your work is so professional, and I’d love to feature you in my cata
“Alright, everyone to your places! Let’s let them know we’ve arrived so we can start the procession!” David began organizing his assistants, who began inviting guests to take their seats and get everything ready for the signal to start.“Sir, here’s the basket,” one of the assistants arrived, running with a basket full of rose petals.“Thanks,” David said, taking the basket. “James, sweetheart, look what they’ve brought for you.”James excitedly reached for the basket, eager to grab the petals.“Hehe, James is the cutest flower boy,” Samantha said, giving him a kiss on his cheek, leaving a mark from her lipstick.“Ah… haha,” James was thrilled by the affection and his new toy, tossing the petals into the air.“Hold on, sweetie, it’s not time to throw them yet,” Deborah said, approaching to stop her little one. “Wait a moment, and then you can throw them.”“Haha.”“It looks like he’s eager to do it,” Christian joked.“Hehe, James makes his own rules,” Caroline said.“Alright,
It was a beautiful ceremony where the love between the couple was palpable as they followed the church protocol and exchanged their wedding vows.The most significant moment came when they removed their old wedding rings to replace them with the new ones Elliot had provided. James, in his tiny suit, reached out for his parents when he saw them kiss.“Is James jealous of his mom?” one of the guests asked.“Well, generally, kids tend to cling to their mothers,” another guest commented.“That’s not it,” Samantha said. “He’s jealous because he likes being the center of attention.” This comment made everyone smile as they watched Jayden approach to lift his son and return to his wife, where together they gave James a kiss on the cheek, eliciting joyful laughter.The reporters invited to the event didn’t miss a moment, capturing everything from the arrival of the groom to the heartwarming family kiss.As they were about to head to the reception hall, they received an invitation from Da
“Thank you so much for coming,” Jayden said as they finished talking with some of his friends.“Deborah,” David approached them, giving the brunette a thumbs-up.“Okay, we’re coming,” she said, smiling at him.“What’s going on?” Jayden asked, confused.“Come on, love, we’re about to unveil the dessert table for the guests.”“Oh, right, let’s go,” Jayden said, intertwining his hand with hers as they headed to the area, which was covered with a curtain.When they arrived at the location, Deborah signaled the DJ.“Ahem… attention, please,” the DJ announced. “At this moment, we invite you to direct your gaze to the mysterious part of the party as the newlyweds have a surprise to share with you.”“Ooh… what is it?” Elliot asked excitedly.“…” Deborah took the microphone that was offered to her while Jayden held James. “Good evening, everyone. First of all, thank you so much for attending our wedding,” she said with a smile. “As our DJ mentioned, it’s time to reveal what’s behind th
The wedding was simply perfect—everything from the decorations, the food, the entertainment, the ambiance, and the surprise of the new baby made it an unforgettable event for everyone.However, the highlight was undoubtedly the special month Jayden and Deborah spent enjoying their honeymoon on the beach.As the month came to an end, it also marked the end of their vacation as they were coming back just two weeks before James’s first birthday.Fortunately, since James was still so young, they decided to keep it simple—a small gathering with only close family members.James might not remember much of his first birthday, but his parents and staff decorated the house with large balloons and even gave him a roll of streamers to play with, which he loved at that age.What Deborah would remember vividly, though, was the déjà vu she experienced when the gift competition began again, just as she had imagined.The competition was fierce, with James reacting positively to all the presents,
The gynecologist delivered the best news ever—Deborah was expecting a beautiful little girl.This was a huge delight for the whole family. Samantha and Eric had longed for a lovely daughter, and now life was blessing them with a beautiful granddaughter to spoil and care for.With the news of the new princess in the family, George grew a bit concerned about James. Strictly speaking, this little girl would be Jayden’s biological child, and George worried that James might be sidelined because of his new sister.“What’s on your mind, Dad?” Elliot asked, noticing his father’s distracted look.“Oh, hehe, sorry, I was lost in thought,” George said, glancing at the clutter on his desk.“Don’t worry. If you’re tired, you can rest on the sofa.”“It’s not that, son. Let’s just say I’m worried.”“Worried about what? Did something happen?” Elliot asked, approaching to look at the papers in his father’s hands.“Don’t worry, it’s not about the company.”“Then what is it?”“It’s about James.
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