Extra 14: PrideJames, for his part, felt bad while he waited for one of his parents to show up, along with Edward. The mothers of Frank and Paul had already arrived.“Looks like you’re the one whose parents don’t care about him,” Frank mocked, noticing James’s parents still hadn’t shown up.“Frank, shut up and stop bothering him,” Edward said, frowning. “Unlike your moms, our parents work.”“God… you say that with pride. How did a kid of your social status even get into this school?” Frank’s mom remarked.“Having both parents work is a source of pride, ma’am,” James said, frowning.“What a rude child. It’s clear he has no manners, and his parents—”“His parents what?” came a man’s angry voice, scaring the women.“Dad,” Edward said in surprise, seeing him next to him. He’d thought his mom would come.“Uncle,” James greeted.“Ma’am, I suggest you refrain from making such comments in front of the children or prepare for the consequences,” Christian said, placing himself between
“But it’s obvious if he recorded a video, he was playing with it in class,” Frank complained.“I wasn’t playing with it. But when I saw you coming to bother us, I started recording because Dad says video evidence carries more weight in court than a simple testimony, which can easily be faked,” Edward said.“…” Christian felt proud hearing his son talk like that. He really was a mini version of himself. He looked down at the phone screen and played the video for everyone to see.Naturally, the video made Deborah and Christian angry, while Frank and Paul’s mothers looked nervous. The video clearly showed who had started it.“That video is fake!” Paul rushed to say. “He must have edited it.”“I doubt it. This is not the first time I’ve heard that Frank and Paul have been picking on my son just because he answers the teacher’s questions correctly,” Deborah said.“Whatever, it’s still your sons’ fault,” Paul’s mother said. “So I want them expelled.”“…” The principal looked worried a
Extra 15: Same InterestsWhen they went to pick up Jayden, Jayden was surprised by the impromptu family outing, so naturally, he said goodbye to his colleagues right away to go out and eat with them.As soon as he got into the car, Jayden noticed the bruise on James's cheek and got furious that someone had been bothering him, but was glad to hear that everything was under control.“It’s good that those kids won’t bother you anymore,” he said after James finished telling him what happened.“Yeah, Dad.”“That boy was a meanie, Daddy. He also tried to bully other kids,” Elizabeth added.“Well, it’s good they finally put a stop to that, and Edward’s idea surprised me a lot,” Deborah said as they walked into the restaurant and took a seat at one of the available tables.“Edward always tells me he wants to be like his dad,” James said. “And um… I…,” he began, blushing and looking away.Deborah and Jayden noticed their little boy’s nervousness.“And you? What do you want to be when y
Extra 16: Little CEO, Part 1The next day, James and Elizabeth went to visit the Peterson headquarters, where they were already expected.“Hello, kids,” the receptionist greeted them.“Hi, John,” James and Elizabeth answered in unison.“Good morning,” Max, who was accompanying them, said.“Good morning. Please, go ahead,” John said, handing Max a black card so they could use the executive elevator.“Thank you. Alright, let’s go, kids,” Max said, taking the card to proceed to the elevator.They got into the elevator, and as soon as the doors opened again, they ran out, laughing.“Welcome,” Fabian greeted them.“Hi, Fabian,” Elizabeth said with a big smile, giving him a hug.“Come on in, the bosses will be here soon,” he said as he opened the office door.“Are they busy?” Max asked.“Yes, they’re wrapping up a meeting with a young woman about a new jewelry collection.”“Aren’t they using the regular models?” James asked, who, despite his young age, already knew a little abou
Extra 16: Little CEO, Part 2“What…?” George said, frowning.“That’s a lie. I didn’t…”“Who do you think you are to threaten my grandchildren?” George asked as he stepped toward the children. Elizabeth ran up to hug him.“What…”“Grandchildren…” the pair were now scared by that and noticed that the boy had some features similar to the older man’s.“Son, I told you this idea of collaborating with these internet kids was a bad one.”“You’re right, Dad.”“No, wait, Mr. Peterson… this… this is a misunderstanding. It’s this babysitter’s fault, and…”“Bodyguard,” Max said.“What?” the woman asked, worried.“I’m the kids’ personal bodyguard, not their babysitter,” he said, moving his jacket slightly to reveal a firearm. “Because I’m authorized to hurt anyone who tries to harm my little bosses physically or verbally.”“Ma’am, I think the collaboration between the Peterson jewelry company and you is not happening… Fabian, take the jewelry and call security to escort them out of my o
Extra 17: I Already KnewJames was happy that his grandfather wasn’t upset with him for choosing to be like his dad and that he would support him in his studies. Motivated by this excitement, James showed him his sketchbook. They weren’t full-fledged blueprints like his dad made, but it was a great start.George was certainly a little sad that the boy didn’t choose to follow the family tradition of pursuing a career related to precious stones. But he understood that James had fallen in love with architecture because he saw what Jayden did every day. Now all he could do was support his first grandson in his dreams.After finishing their conversation, they went to find the others so they could go eat.On the way to the restaurant, they picked up Elliot’s partner and son to spend some family time together.They arrived at their favorite family restaurant, where they first found a table to sit down and then placed their orders.While waiting for the waiter, they started chatting amon
“Obviously. Or do you see anyone else?” the man asked sarcastically, pointing out that they were the only ones washing their hands at that moment.“Who are you, and what do you want?” the boy asked, frowning.“Who I am isn’t important, but let’s say I’ve been looking for you to talk about something very important.”“And how can you tell me something important when you’re a stranger?”“Wow, for a kid, you sure use your brain.”“And you, for being a competitor of my family’s company, are kind of dumb.”“What...” Gabriel was now surprised, looking at the boy, who smiled arrogantly.“Well, now you’re not a stranger, but you still are to me.”“Wait a minute. How do you know who I am?”“Oh, please...” James said in a bored tone, letting out an audible sigh. “Remember, the internet exists, and these days nothing is a secret.”“Tch... whatever.”“Bye bye then. I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.”“But you’re already talking to me, so now you need to listen to me,” the older man
Extra 18: Roger and James Part 1After the incident at the restaurant, Elliot decided to take the kids to his house so they could rest a bit since he wanted to talk to James about what had just happened.When they got to the house, Erika tried to distract Elizabeth so they could talk in private before Deborah and Jayden arrived. They had already been informed about what had happened.George and Elliot took James to the study because they wanted to question him.“James, come here for a moment,” George called, gesturing for him to sit in one of the chairs in the room.“You too, Max, come over,” Elliot said in a serious tone.“Wow… the way you said that made me feel like a little kid about to be scolded by his dad,” Max joked.“Well, maybe we will have to scold you and your sister,” George replied playfully.“Ugh...” Max said, sitting down next to James.“Why are you going to scold him, Grandpa?”“Before I answer that...” George began, getting comfortable in his seat. “James… te
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