Epilogue: SiblingsYears passed, and it certainly had been a challenge to raise two young children who only had a year in age difference.Elizabeth and James were demanding in their own ways, but as they grew, things eased up. Instead of competing for their mother’s attention, they would team up to play tricks on the adults or have fun in the big backyard.Samantha and Eric loved seeing their grandchildren run and laugh throughout the garden, fully enjoying the play area, the treehouse, the pool, and the greenhouses.One of the siblings' favorite places was the treehouse with a slide that their dad built for them when they turned six and five years old. They also loved playing in Grandma Alexandra’s greenhouse because of the atmosphere in that place.They enjoyed visits from their Aunt Caroline, who would bring their cousin Edward along. Being in a group of three meant having even more fun together.It was a peaceful and perfect life for these siblings. But that happiness wavered
“Grandpa!” the siblings ran over to where George was sitting, welcoming his guests.“Ho ho, hello,” George greeted them with a big smile, receiving a big hug and a kiss on the cheek from the little blonde girl.“What a nice welcome,” said a blonde woman with curly hair, holding a three-year-old baby.“Aunt Erika!” James and Elizabeth greeted.“Good evening,” Jayden greeted.“Happy birthday,” Deborah said, handing George a gift box.“Thank you very much,” he said, taking the box.“Where’s Elliot?” Jayden asked, approaching Erika to take the baby.“He’s at the entrance talking to someone; he’ll be here soon,” the woman said, taking the chance to stretch her arms, as the baby was starting to get heavy.“Hi, Howie,” Elizabeth said, taking the baby’s little hand.“Howard has less hair,” James said with a smile.“That’s because we cut it recently so he wouldn’t feel too hot,” Erika explained.“Erika, dear, could you help me?” George asked, handing her the box.“Of course, George
“They’re not answering,” Deborah said worriedly, seeing that neither of her kids was picking up the phone.“Wait, love. Instead of calling, activate the phone tracker. I always leave that app on for them… I mean, that’s why I pay for this family plan,” Jayden said, pulling out his phone to activate the GPS and get their children’s current location.Thanks to that, they managed to see where their kids were: they had taken refuge in a park two blocks from the party hall.They ran to the park as fast as they could.“James! Elizabeth!” Deborah and James began shouting as they arrived, shining their phone flashlights around.“James, it’s Mom and Dad,” said Elizabeth, recognizing their voices.“You mean your parents,” James said sadly, hugging his knees.“James, they’re our parents.”“No, they’re not! I’m the son of that man who doesn’t want me…”“There they are!” They heard their father’s voice from their right, who was smiling as he climbed up the play structure where they were hi
Extra: ResponsibilitiesWhat had happened was a wake-up call for Deborah and Jayden. They had hoped they would never have to tell James the truth, but it was obvious they would have to have that conversation with him eventually.Now that they agreed they should tell him the truth, they asked someone to investigate Roger a bit to find out what he was up to.A week later, they received the results of that investigation. They were informed that Roger had gotten married a year ago. What was interesting was that this woman was divorced… but the problem George had with it was that she had a six-year-old son, whom Roger had adopted and treated and loved as if he were his own child.In fact, Roger loved and cared for that boy so much that he even dared to take him to a meeting with George and asked him to acknowledge the boy as his grandson… Obviously, this infuriated both George and Elliot, as Roger was acknowledging and loving a child who had no connection to them while neglecting his ow
Deborah and James gave them permission and waited at the entrance.A few minutes later, the kids came back, each carrying a pet: a Labrador puppy and a kitten.“Daddy, can we?” Ellie asked, showing the black Labrador puppy she had in her arms.“Yeah, can we?” James added, showing the small orange kitten he was holding.“Hey… wasn’t this supposed to be one pet for both of you?” Deborah asked, though she seemed amused because she had already imagined this scenario, where they would end up with two pets.“But…” The kids looked at each other and then pouted, trying to convince their parents to let them adopt both.“Hm… I don’t know. What do you think, love?” Deborah asked, looking at her husband.“Well… we have a big house, and if they’re going to be responsible…” he began, seeing how the kids’ eyes lit up.“We will!” Ellie said.“Yes, I promise,” James declared.The two adults exchanged a look before smiling.“If you’re going to be responsible, then I think we can adopt both,”
Extra 2: Before the StormThe months went by, and James and Elizabeth watched in amazement as their siblings grew inside their mommy’s belly.At the same time, they discovered something even better than becoming older siblings: their mom was now always at home because she got tired from walking around.They loved this because she was always there to welcome them when they got home.Despite staying at home, Deborah still supported the office through video calls, so she would set up in the living room because she liked watching everyone come and go. Chip and Felix would stay beside her, sleeping while their owners were at school.“Yes, Dad, and remember we need to keep an eye on their movements in the coming days because I think those companies I showed you are about to lose value since their owners are acting strange,” she said, sending him the list.“I think so too, sweetie because the idea of them selling to increase their stock value is a bit odd,” Nicholas said as he read thro
“Mommy?” Deborah turned to her right.“Hi, James,” Deborah said, opening her arms for James to hug her and sit next to her.“What are you doing?” he asked, looking around.“I’m talking to your grandma.”“Oh,” he said, smiling.“Mommy, can you help us?” Elizabeth asked, showing her a notebook.“Of course, let’s see what you need,” Deborah said, adjusting her seat to help her kids with their homework.When the clock struck five in the afternoon, Jayden came home, looking tired but trying to put on a smile for his family.As he entered the house, he noticed it was quiet, which was very unusual… it was usually noisy in the afternoons with the kids playing in the living room with their pets.“Um… Cassie, where are my wife and kids?” he asked the girl cleaning the living room.“Good afternoon, sir. Um… aren’t they in their rooms?”“Right, I’ll go check,” he said, heading to the bedrooms.“Sir,” the butler called to him, “they’re in Ms. Alexandra’s greenhouse.”“Thanks,” Jayden s
Extra 3: SupportApparently, things weren’t going very well at the construction company. A new competitor had come to town and was challenging the Coopers because, since its opening, it had entered the market with lower prices than what Jayden and his company offered.This new company provided cheaper and more economical materials and labor while delivering the same results in their final work… so, of course, many clients were attracted by this offer.Given the situation, Jayden and his father sat down to talk with the company accountant to figure out how to solve their problem.They began analyzing how they could win back those clients by offering some discount on their current prices… but the truth was, they were already offering a fair price for the quality of work and top-notch materials they used. If they made a big discount, they would end up losing money and not making a profit from the work done or the products sold.Still, some clients were on their side because they pref
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