“Well, thanks for the warm welcome, sis,” the young lad said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I went away for a few months, and you’re hugging Ken over here.”Vaughn cleared his throat and offered his hand to Cameron. “Cam, long time no see. It’s nice to meet you again.”Cameron glared at Vaughn and slapped his hand away. “Nice to meet you again, my ass.”He went to Eloise’s side and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Is he bothering you, sis? Should we file a restraining order against him?”Eloise sighed. “Calm down, Cam. Everything’s good.”“Good?” he scoffed. “This bastard is back, and you expect me to calm down? Let’s go to my car and go home. Did you leave Ollie at Cadence again?”“He’s in the car,” Vaughn responded. “What car?”“My car,” he said. “I brought him here.”“Oh, you brought him here—WHAT? You know about Ollie?” he exclaimed in shock. “Yes,” Vaughn nodded. “Of course, I know about my son.”Cameron turned to his sister, betrayed. “You told him abou
The siblings were shocked after Vaughn’s long statement. Ollie, too, looked at his dad with awe. And despite not understanding most of what he was saying, he tapped Vaughn’s arm and gave him two thumbs up. Vaughn smiled and ruffled his son’s hair. Eloise and Cameron were still speechless. Eloise never thought Vaughn had it in him to say such beautiful words. He had apologized plenty of times, but this was a whole other story. She even felt tears dwelling in her eyes at one point. Cameron snapped out of his daze and chuckled awkwardly. “I was just asking for an explanation, man. I didn’t think you’d say a full wedding vow,” he chuckled. Vaughn chuckled with him. “I don’t know. Words just came flowing out of my mouth. I am really sorry about everything I’ve done.”Cameron felt conflicted. He knew how much Vaughn had hurt his precious sister, and he didn’t want her to experience heartbreak again. However, while watching the two of them since earlier, Cameron wondered if Vaughn could
“I can’t believe Eloise and Vaughn are going on a trip,” Cadence said, leaning against her hand. Xavi and her decided to spend their breaktime together, so they were currently at the lounge room with their usual drinks and snacks. Xavi chuckled. “That’s nice, though. Vaughn has been preparing for the trip so much for the past week. He wants to make it perfect for Eloise. Why? Don’t you want them to be together?”Cadence raised both her eyebrows. “Oh, boy. If you only knew! I’m probably the biggest pusher of their relationship. If it weren’t for me, Vaughn surely wouldn’t even know that Ollie is his son.”He laughed out loud. “Then why can’t you believe that they’re going on a trip together?”“Because they didn’t take me!” she joked. “No, kidding aside. Eloise told me she doesn’t want to enter a relationship yet. However, with how things are progressing, I think she’s going to swallow her words very soon. They’re even going to the city of love, for god’s sake!”“Hmm,” Xavi nodded. “An
The bustling airport terminal was filled with travelers hurrying past. Vaughn and Eloise were waiting for their flight number to be called when they were suddenly faced with an unfortunate event. “What? The flight’s canceled?” Vaughn said through the phone, catching Eloise by surprise. She frowned and stood up, trying to listen in on their conversation. Vaughn massaged the bridge of his nose. “Well, get someone to fix it real quick. I book the whole plane for someone special, and now you’re telling me it isn’t even working?”Eloise held onto Vaughn’s bicep. “Is everything alright?” she quietly asked. “Wait for a second,” he softly said before turning his attention back to his phone. “What time can we get on that plane? Tomorrow? You must be kidding me,” he said in a frustrated voice. Eloise could now guess what was happening. Vaughn told her he rented an entire business class plane for the two of them, and she almost couldn’t believe him. How much would that have cost? Eloise cert
Vaughn peered over the window as soon as he woke up. He let out a sigh of disappointment when he saw that the skies were dark and stormy. Raindrops pelted against the glass, creating a rhythmic yet teasing beat. “Why the hell is this happening?” he whispered. Vaughn read the weather forecast last week, and all reports said the weather would be great. He massaged the bridge of his nose and looked at Eloise, who was still in bed. “What are you doing there?” she asked. “It’s quite cold. Come here,” she patted the spot next to her. Vaughn walked over to the bed and laid down next to her. She grabbed the blanket and sprawled it across his body before snuggling beside him. They cuddled yesterday night, and it just felt natural to hug him right then. The two of them watched as the rain cascaded outside, the sound of thunder rumbling in the background. “I’m sorry,” Vaughn said. “I can’t believe we ended up in the middle of a storm during our vacation.”Eloise clicked her tongue. “Why do
Xavi wasn’t exaggerating when he said he always met questionable women. It was their break time, and he decided to introduce his new “girlfriend” to Cadence. Of course, Cadence was reluctant at first. But in the end, her curiosity triumphed. Turns out, his new girlfriend is a 25-year-old intern in the brand marketing department. “Cadence, this is Trina, my girlfriend. Trina, this is Cadence, my good friend,” he excitedly introduced the both of them. Despite feeling disappointed that she was merely introduced as a “good friend,” Cadence offered a friendly handshake to Trina. "It's nice to meet you, Trina." To her surprise, Trina smiled and actually took her hand. “It’s nice to meet you too! It’s great to meet Xavi’s friends in the office. I hope we’ll be good friends too.”“Of course,” Cadence smiled. Is this girl actually nice? Xavi smiled as he watched the two of them. However, his phone suddenly rang, interrupting the moment. He sighed and fished his phone from his pocket. “Y
Trina continued to pester Cadence from then on. Whenever they met when Xavi was around, Trina would put on a fake act. However, when they were left all alone, she was nothing but an utter bitch. Frustrated by her two-faced act, Cadence wanted to vent her feelings to somebody else. But since Eloise is in Paris with the love of her life, she has no choice but to call her newfound “friend.”“She’s such a bitch!” she ranted, taking a big bite of the chicken Red had ordered for her. “I mean, it would be better if she didn’t act nice whenever Xavi’s around. She could just ignore me or something! But she always acts nice when Xavi's near and turns into a bitch the next second. I don’t think I would actually come to say this, but I prefer Carina instead of her.”Red chuckled and placed the glass of water next to her. “Damn, is she that bad? I met her, and she was nice. She gave cookies to our friend group.”Cadence glared at him. “Well, she’s a pretty damn good actress. She gives Eloise a r
Vaughn was more than happy now that the sun had risen and the storm had gone away. Two whole days of planned itineraries had gone down the drain, and now, he had time to execute what he had been waiting for. Vaughn and Eloise were at a park for a picnic. The park looked like a serene oasis, surrounded by lush greenery and colorful flowers in full bloom. A gentle breeze rustles through the leaves, creating a soothing melody. A man, playing on his trumpet, also sat a bit far away from them, serenading them with a beautiful tune. “Let’s sit here,” Eloise said, securing a secluded spot under a large, shady tree. Vaughn spread the cozy blanket on the grass while Eloise took out a simple picnic basket filled with sandwiches, fruits, desserts, and cold drinks. Vaughn looked at her with a grateful smile. “You really know how to make a simple moment feel special, Eloise.” Eloise smiled. “Sometimes, it’s the simplest moments that mean the most. I’m so glad you found this park.” They sat