Extra 25: Not-So-Innocent Prank Part 1After that conversation, things started to change for the better.Gabriel followed his assistant’s advice. After paying off the last lawsuits, Gate Construction closed down. Just as it had appeared out of nowhere, it vanished just as suddenly.The only good thing to come out of Gabriel’s attacks was that it taught a valuable lesson, not just to the Coopers but also to other companies: to keep some emergency funds on hand.Gradually, life for the Cooper family began to return to normal, settling back into their work routines and caring for the children.As the years passed, the four siblings grew up amidst laughter, games, and studies, which filled their parents with pride.James continued with his ambition to study and become a great architect like his father. He made sure to spend time with him and his grandfather at the company. In his free time, he played with the twins or worked out, as he had started following an exercise routine.Eliz
Extra 25: Not-So-Innocent Prank Part 2The black-haired woman felt triumphant, believing she was proving to her father that she could get anything she wanted, no matter the obstacle in her way.Unfortunately for her, her luck ran out when she realized the company had two elevators: one that went to all the floors and was for all employees, and another one that was exclusive for reaching the CEO’s office. In other words, she wouldn’t be able to reach “her grandfather” because that special elevator required an access card.“Damn it…” she muttered.“Ma’am, are you okay?” a child’s voice called out from behind her.“Are you having trouble, ma’am?” another child’s voice followed.“Who are you calling ‘ma’am’?” That word made her frown. She was only twenty years old, so she quickly turned to confront them, only to be surprised when she found two little kids watching her intently.“We called you ma’am,” Michael said.“Because you are one. You look old,” Nicole added mockingly.The wo
“I want to see my grandfather, and you won’t stop me. I have every right to be here since I’m a Peterson too. I also want to ask Grandpa for a favor, and—”“Let me guess,” James interrupted her. “You want an Ice Sapphire? That new and expensive jewel from the latest company collection, the one you want to show off at your graduation or some school party to make everyone think you’re related to us and not just adopted.”“Jerk,” she spat through gritted teeth.“If that’s it, I’m sorry to tell you it’s not going to happen because all the pieces we created sold out when they launched two days ago,” Erika stated. “But if you’d like, I can put in an order for a Spring Sapphire from the Fine Fantasy collection. We still have a few pieces of that model left.”“Fantasy?” she repeated, frowning. “Are you crazy?” she complained before turning her head to look at her father. “Dad, you promised me a real, expensive jewel for my graduation.”“Yes… it’s clear you’ve raised your daughter well, Ro
Extra 26: Us and Them Part 1After saying goodbye to their grandfather, Howard, and their uncle, the young Coopers went to the mall to buy everything they needed for the beach.James was in charge of the money since he was the oldest sibling. Jayden had established the rule that they could have a credit card when they turned sixteen and would use it responsibly. After returning home, they would report any expenses.“Wow… I’m so jealous. I want to shop like that,” Michael said, watching his older brother enter some numbers on a little device and then take the purchases with them.“I’m just months away from having that privilege,” Elizabeth said happily.“But this is a responsibility, because, at the end of the day, money has to be managed wisely,” James said.“Didn’t you already pay with that magic money?” Nicole asked.“No, kids, those charges or payments are made by your parents at the end of the month,” Danielle explained.“Oh…”“That’s why Dad says we have to be responsible
Extra 26: Us and Them Part 2The next day, everything was ready for a week-long beach trip free of work, as it coincided with the companies' vacation time since the grandparents would handle everything important. All the big tasks were already done.“Kids, come down for breakfast,” Deborah called out, and soon everyone came down wearing their beach outfits.“Look, Mommy, it’s the dress Ellie made for me,” Nicole said, twirling around to show off her beautiful sunflower-patterned dress.“Wow… you look so pretty, and you even have matching ribbons,” Deborah said, noticing that the dress and her little girl’s hair accessories were made from the same fabric.“I used the leftover scraps to make them, and I also made a hairband,” Elizabeth said, helping her little sister with her hairstyle.“My little princess looks gorgeous like this,” Jayden said, picking up the little brunette.“And our first princess is so talented,” Deborah said, hugging Elizabeth.“So much love, so early in the
“Can I come with?” James asked, looking at his dad.“Of course, young man, but you’ll need to wake up early,” the man said as he placed the fish into a container.“Can I, Dad?”“Sure, I want to join that adventure too. It’ll be a special father-son moment.”“In that case, I’ll try to wake up early to take pictures of you when you come back with your catch,” Elizabeth said, already holding her camera.“Looks like we’re all going to have a lot of fun,” Deborah said.With that said, the first thing they did was help Jace and his assistants pick all the ripe fruit from the trees. The trees had been planted around the house at Samantha’s request because she loved their scent and thought it was great to have fresh citrus fruits at home to combat the heat of the day.The six of them enjoyed themselves, helping with the baskets full of fruit while Felix happily ran after them, and Chip was in the kitchen supervising the cooks as they prepared the food, though she was sometimes caught tr
Extra 27: CareersThe vacation was glorious and very relaxing.The family spent their time playing games, laughing, and doing special activities for everyone, including the mischievous pets, though they were the ones who got tired the quickest due to their age.During father-and-son time, James gained confidence and told his dad what had happened at Peterson Enterprises. Jayden was angry that the man had dared to mess with his son, but James and Michael acted quickly to calm him down, saying it was in the past and they should just enjoy fishing now.Meanwhile, on the beach, Deborah was chatting with her girls over breakfast, enjoying an outdoor meal in the company of the soft morning sea breeze.“Sweetie,” Deborah called Elizabeth’s attention, who had her sketchbook and colored pencils on the table, copying the spotty design of a seashell with the idea of turning it into a new summer dress.“Sorry, Mom. It’s just that inspiration struck,” Elizabeth said, blushing as she set her s
Extra 28: Pride Part 1Unfortunately, the vacation coincided with another one of Roger’s crazy schemes.During those days, he went back to harass the company, demanding his rights as a family member and asking for complimentary jewelry for his wife and daughter.All because Cassandra had been boasting and showing off things she didn’t have… and since she couldn’t prove her claims were true, she became the laughingstock among her peers, who called her a mere bastard for bearing the Peterson surname and being poor.The argument and drama escalated from verbal to physical, resulting in George being hospitalized due to a head injury.Fortunately, he had already been discharged, but he was at home resting.“This idiot,” Jayden said upon hearing the news from his parents.“We tried to reach you to let you know, but…” Samantha said, grimacing.“Don’t worry, Samantha, it’s our fault. We chose not to check our phones.”“Grandma, is Grandpa okay?” James asked, worried.“Elliot told me
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