Extra 9: Broken HeartMeanwhile, a certain man named Gabriel Gates was anything but pleased.At that very moment, he had been getting ready to celebrate his victory over his great rival.He hated Eric Cooper, who he saw as the opportunistic fool who had stolen his beloved Samantha Potter. Though strictly speaking, Eric didn’t actually steal her since Gabriel broke up with her after a couple’s fight. Of course, he later regretted it and tried to find her, but it was too late because, when he saw her again, she was already in the arms of that blonde guy, and they had a child.Naturally, he swore to take revenge and teach a lesson to that traitor who didn’t wait for him, though… he had never told her to wait. But he thought that she really loved him and would wait for him forever.What hurt the most was finding out that she had helped Eric build that entire empire. In other words, it would have all been his if he hadn’t fought with her and had proposed to her that day instead.So ou
Extra 10: A Day with Dad, Part 1With his plan underway, Jayden focused on designing the buildings.That day, he didn’t feel very inspired despite wanting to create an innovative design that would mark the return of Cooper Construction. At the moment, he felt like his sketches were too basic, and he didn’t want to make a classic design that was already common in the city… he wanted to create something new that would easily stand out.“Ah… this isn’t working,” Jayden said sadly, crumpling the paper and tossing it into the air. Felix, thinking it was a game, caught it and brought it back, waiting for Jayden to throw it again. “Well, at least someone likes it.”“Cheer up, love. I’m sure the inspiration will come to you and…” Just then, Deborah’s phone rang, and she saw it was a message from her father. “Oh no…”“What’s wrong, my love?”“Um… Dad and my experts just noticed some strange movements in the stock market,” she said, standing up. “I have to go check it out because this coul
“You know what? Let them make fun of you.”“But…”“They might laugh at you now, but he who laughs last laughs best.”“Huh?” the kids said, looking confused.“What I mean is, maybe not now, but later, you’ll be the one laughing at them when you’re the smartest kid in class and they’re still struggling. It takes wisdom to acknowledge your own flaws and weaknesses, and that’s what school is for, right?”“Hmm… you’re right, Dad,” James said, taking the book back.“And you know what? As you keep using the dictionary, it’ll gradually become normal and natural for you to look things up when you have questions.”“Okay,” said James, smiling. Then he noticed something funny on the book cover: it had a sticker that said, “Property of Jayden. Do not touch, except Jayden.”“Yeah, I know. Back then, I found your grandpa’s label maker and used it to put messages on all my stuff.”“You were a naughty boy, Daddy,” Elizabeth said.“A little,” he said, sticking his tongue out to make his kids l
Extra 10: A Day with Dad, Part 2Seeing his older kids holding their younger siblings, Jayden took out his phone to snap a picture. He stayed close by to help, as his kids didn’t yet know how to burp the twins.Just then, Jayden heard a meow, noticing a certain little kitten approaching and trying to lick Michael’s bottle.“No, Chip, that’s not for you,” Jayden said, pulling the bottles away from the kitten’s reach.Suddenly, a small dog came running into the room.“Felix, shh… you’ll scare the babies,” Elizabeth said, petting her puppy.Surprisingly, the twins were looking at the pets and moving their little hands, trying to touch them.“Instead of being scared, it seems your siblings are already used to them.”“Well, they’ve been taking care of them along with Mommy,” James said.“I see,” Jayden replied, watching as the pets settled beside the kids, with the babies seeming content with their presence. “I also see you’ve beaten me because you know how to take care of your sib
“Boss, would you like a coffee?” Camilla asked, walking over to offer her a cup.“No, thanks, but I’ll take some juice, please.”“Right away,” she replied, turning to get the order.“It looks like everyone will be going to bed after dinner,” Samantha commented, noticing that Deborah had turned down the coffee.“Yes. And how did my kids behave?” Deborah asked.“We were good,” the children answered in unison.“Did you do your homework?”“Yes, Daddy helped us,” Elizabeth said.“That’s great—”“Everyone, dinner’s ready.”“Well, let’s sit down to eat so they can tell you all about what we did this afternoon,” Jayden said, noticing the excitement on his children’s faces. They couldn’t wait to tell their mom about all the fun she had missed.Dinner was lively, with James and Elizabeth talking nonstop about what they had done that day, from what had happened at school to the games they played in the afternoon.After finishing their meal, Deborah and Jayden sent the kids to brush th
Extra 11: A Big ProposalThat night, they slept soundly and even enjoyed a romantic moment—something that hadn’t happened since the twins were born.The next morning, Jayden woke up with a great idea in mind, so he immediately started sketching as Deborah watched on in amusement.Deborah loved seeing the excitement and passion that defined Jayden whenever he was designing buildings.Every now and then, Jayden would pause his work to help her feed and clean the twins.And soon, the day of the meeting arrived.“Good luck with your meeting, my love,” Deborah said, giving him a kiss while holding the twins. “Sweethearts, wish Daddy good luck.”“Ah…” they babbled.“Aww… thanks for the encouragement, kids,” Jayden said, stroking their heads and kissing their foreheads. “Alright, I’ll be back soon, love.”With that, Jayden left for the company to meet with Mr. Henry.When he arrived, everything was ready, and Jimmy quickly took the blueprints to put them on the projector, preparing
“Hehe, kid, it looks like you have pets.”“Hm… we have a black Labrador and a tortoiseshell cat,” said Eric. “And those two are a handful, especially when they team up with my grandkids.”“Haha, I can imagine! I’ll definitely buy your design and idea, kid.”“And additionally, using the space left outside, we’ll create a beautiful garden for all the residents to gather if they wish, with an elegant and low-maintenance design,” Jayden added, showing the latest blueprints he had designed for the exterior.Eric felt immense pride listening to his son talk about his great idea, which confirmed he’d made the right choice in giving the company to him. You could see the passion Jayden had for designing and discussing his ideas.Henry fully approved the plans presented to him. They began discussing the materials and costs required to build just the base structure. Once that was ready, they would move on to selecting the materials for each apartment and their finishes.“Perfect, that’s set
Extra 12: BadObviously, this news didn’t sit well with a certain someone.Gabriel was furious; Cooper was rising to the top again, and it looked like nothing could stop him, which made him angry.“Damn it, I was so close to destroying them,” he muttered, pounding his fists on his desk. “All because of that meddling woman… tch.”What made him even angrier was that Henry Gonson hadn’t accepted his proposal.Because, yes… he had managed to track down Henry to offer him a better deal at a more affordable price, but he was turned down.-Flashback-He managed to get into the hotel where Henry was staying and waited for him to come down for breakfast so he could have a word with him.“Good afternoon,” he said, taking a seat beside Henry.“…” Henry lowered his coffee cup and raised an eyebrow. “Good morning. Can I help you with something?”“Yes, actually. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Gabriel Gates,” Gabriel said, extending his hand.“Ah… a pleasure, sir,” Henry replied without