“Mom?”Paris’ tiny voice broke the tension in the air. The little girl was rubbing her eyes as she trudged to Sierra. “Gabby is hungry. I came to get him the milk,” she said and yawned.“Oh. Right, I’ll prepare his milk now—Ah!” Sierra screamed when she realized the baby bottle was destroyed. She looked up and glared at Mason. “Look what you’ve done,” she told him and opened the door. “I don’t have time to entertain any guest, especially an unwanted one so, leave.” She pushed him out of the door like last time. “Don’t ever come back here again.”Paris stared at the door after Sierra drove out Mason. She was curious who the man was but looking at how stressed Sierra seemed to be, the little girl didn’t ask.“Honey, you should go back to bed. I’ll find the extra bottle for Gabby so he would stop crying.” Sierra kissed Paris’ forehead. “Go ahead. Babies need to sleep more to grow up,” she said and gently ruffled her hair.“Mom! I’m not a baby.” Paris pouted. “Don’t you want me to help? I
“What is he talking about?” Sierra muttered to herself while crumpling the note. She stared at the flowers, contemplating whether to throw them away. Sighing, she went to the kitchen to get a glass where she could put them.“Mom, can I ask you something?” London watched as Sierra arranged the flowers in the glass. When Sierra hummed and nodded in response, he spilled his question she didn’t expect. “Since when do you have a boyfriend?”“London, honey—” Sierra halted when she saw Paris trying to carry Gabby out of his crib. “Oh my! Put him down!” Sierra sprinted from the kitchen to the living room to save Gabby. “Paris, what do you think you’re doing?”Paris fidgetted her hands while trying not to cry. The girl could tell Sierra was mad, and she knew why. “I… I’m sorry!” The little girl cried, joining Gabby. “I just want to play with Gabby outside his crib. Wah!”“Yes, honey. Shhh. Come here.” Sierra ushered Paris to come to her and rubbed her back. “It’s okay, honey. Gabby is still a
‘New boyfriend?’ Caleb frowned at London’s choice of word. “Little boy, did you say your mother has another before, except for me?”“It’s London, not 'little boy'.”Caleb nodded his head. “Yes, London. You have a unique name. I’m Caleb, by the way.” Caleb extended his hand for a shake as he introduced himself. “I’d love to introduce myself to you the other day, but something came up and I wasn’t able to. I hope this sudden visit doesn’t bother you, London.”London shrugged. “It doesn’t really bother me. But Mom doesn’t look happy with the flowers you sent,” he said and pointed at the kitchen table where Sierra left the glass with flowers in it. “If she does, she would have put them in the vase instead,” the boy continued.“Is that so?” Caleb turned to Sierra to ask. “You didn’t like the flowers?”Sierra’s eyes twitched. She would have thrown them away if she didn’t like them. “I don’t have a vase to put them in. Should I just throw them in the bin instead?”Caleb seemed unconvinced by
Caleb automatically clenched his jaws when he heard that some other guy was eyeing Sierra, which was unacceptable. He couldn’t wait to find out more about this man who dared to come after Sierra when he was not around. Just then, Caleb noticed London and Paris looking at each other knowingly with mischievous grins on their faces. He quickly asked them, “Alright. Tell me. What do you guys know about this Mason guy?” London was the first to answer. “Well,” he started slowly, as though savoring the moment of suspense. “Let me put it this way… Mason is totally smitten with Mom! He proposed to her in the most dramatic and romantic way you can think of! I mean, he took her out for a picnic under the blue sky, with a bottle of champagne and candles all around. Then he made her walk across flower petals just to get to him and presented her with a gorgeous diamond ring like out of a fairytale movie!” Paris couldn’t help but add in some details, too. “And not only that! He also wrote Mom a lo
“Thanks for the lunch,” Caleb said as he flashed his gentle smile at Sierra. He was sincerely grateful to share a meal together with her again. “Don’t mention it,” Sierra replied. “You moved the boxes for me anyway,” she added. “The boxes you sent.” “Cut me some slack. You might like what’s inside once you check.” Caleb lifted his hand and caressed Sierra’s cheek. “Call me when you need anything. I will come to you right away.” Sierra nodded her head, contrary to her thoughts, hoping that she wouldn’t see Caleb again. “Take care,” she smiled and walked her to the door. “Bye.” Caleb grinned as she stepped out of the house. “See you around,” he said and winked before turning his back to her. “See you around,” Sierra mimicked while making a face. “Who wants to see who again?” Rolling her eyes, she returned to the kitchen to wash the dishes. She needed to do the chores quickly while Gabby was still asleep. After cleaning the kitchen, Sierra took a quick shower and joined in with the
The weather started nicely in the morning. A gentle and warm breeze put a place on everybody’s face, except for one — Sierra.“Mom. Are you sick?” Paris asked after observing Sierra for a few minutes now. “Your face is pale as snow,” she added.Sierra shook her head. “I’m fine, honey. Just couldn't sleep properly last night.”After meeting Caleb again as her neighbor, Sierra stayed up all night wondering why fate was being too harsh on her. She wouldn’t have to worry about falling in love if it wasn’t Caleb, but that guy still had a place in her heart. No matter how much she denied it, Sierra knew she couldn’t resist Caleb any longer. And she feared for that day to come. She had to take care of the children, after all.“Is it about love?” London mumbled from behind. He noticed how distracted Sierra was in the last few days. At first, he thought maybe it was because of their finances. But having some men coming over to visit, the boy concluded that it was romance-related. “Mom, if you
“So, she’s been skipping meals every day to save food. I see now why she’s become thin,” Caleb mumbled after hearing what the kids had to say. “And what did you guys do to help her? You didn’t just let her starve, did you?”London frowned. “As if she would listen to my opinion. You should be familiar with how stubborn she can be. I tried to talk to her about it but she insisted that she’s on a diet.”“She did?” Paris joined in. “But mom’s so skinny that she doesn’t need a diet.”“Silly,” London flicked his sister’s forehead. “Of course, she’s lying. She wouldn’t admit it even if her stomach continue to make noise.”Caleb clenched his jaws. “I told her to come to me when she needs help.” He knew how hard Sierra worked back in the day when she was supporting herself in college. “I never imagined she would end up with a life like this,” he muttered. “Alright, kids. Since I’m here now, you don’t have to worry about your mom. I will take care of her while you take care of yourselves.”Pari
“Gosh! I didn’t think I’d take longer than I should.” Sierra hurried to her apartment with groceries clutched in her chest. The bag was broken and all the things she bought in it scattered on the ground. Since she spent the money left on her, she didn’t hesitate to pick up everything from the ground, thinking she could just wash them at home.She stopped in front of her apartment door when she heard a baby’s loud cry. “Oh, no! Gabby’s awake,” she said and didn’t waste any second. Sierra pushed the door open and called out for the kids. “London? Paris? Oh gosh. I’m here. Give me a second to put all these — Aw!” Sierra squirmed when her toe hit on one of the table’s legs.“Mom, are you alright?” Paris said as she helped her with the groceries. “Ah. You did it again,” she murmured while staring at Sierra’s foot.“Nevermind that honey. Please help me with these first. I’ll go get Gabby.” Sierra groaned as she place the groceries and other ingredients on the table. “Oh. I stink,” she mutte
Oliver wore his coat before knocking on his Dad’s office. He had never seen his old man for a while, and coming to him on his own was a big shock to the latter."You’re here. What do you want?" Dr. Lewis asked without lifting his gaze to his son.Oliver sat on the chair in front of him and knocked on the table to get his attention."I don’t want to repeat the question, Oliver." His father finally looked at him with a sigh. "I have many things to do, so I appreciate it if you speak right away."Nodding his head, Oliver clenched his fists on his lap. "I want to become a father," he blurted out. "You don’t have to arrange for me to marry anyone. I already have a successor in mind.""So, what did you eat today?" Dr. Lewis asked instead, taking his words lightly. "Or did you watch a movie with that guy? What’s his name? Ah, Frank. Yeah. Did he force you to do something again, resulting in... this?""I see that you’re not interested." Oliver stood up and fixed his tie. "I’m still going to do
“I can’t believe you’re going without me!” Astrid cried on the other line. While she was ordered to stay in the house for a month after she kicked Mason Bennett in the jaw, Sierra and the kids invited Caleb to join their picnic. “Won’t you at least help me get out of here just for today?” “You’re only making your situation worse if you do that, Missy.” “But I want to come! It’s not fair. I watched over those kids when the two of you went on a date. Let me talk to the kids. They’ll surely want me to come too!” Sierra sighed. She wanted to invite Astrid as well, but Caleb told her not to. When she asked him why, he said that Astrid was being punished. Although Sierra wanted to know the details, she didn’t pry so much about it. She could tell from Caleb’s voice that something huge must have happened and Astrid was involved. It was not surprising for her to know how Astrid attracts trouble for herself ever since they met and became friends. “You can come next time but sorry, today’s no
The warm breeze touched Oliver’s skin as soon as he got off the car. After recovering from a fever, he decided to take a break from work for a month. It was the first time he voluntarily asked for a break, which surprised everyone, including his friend, Frank. Oliver planned to visit Sherly’s grave with the latter. Usually, Oliver would resort to overworking whenever he had something in mind, but this time, he wanted to try a different approach, especially when he might be the father of Sherly’s baby.“Did we get to the right place?” Frank asked, looking around. “This town looked lifeless…”Oliver roamed his gaze around and couldn’t agree more. It felt like the place was abandoned. “There was a huge fire that killed almost a hundred people a few months ago. It’s going to be more suspicious if people living here would look lively after the incident.”Frank nodded his head. “Lots of people died, but I don’t think they ever reported it to the public. Did you find out the cause of the fir
Mason groaned as soon as his eyes met Astrid’s. He was not happy to see her at all. After what she had done to him, he wished her to go die somewhere and never appear in front of him again.“What’s this? I thought you were recovering well. You look like a mess,” Astrid commented, throwing stony gazes at him lying on the bed. There was no hint of either guilt or regret in her voice as she continued speaking. “So, did you tell them your plan to cancel our engagement? You’re not waiting until your injury heals, are you?”Mason clenched his fists. He knew something was wrong with Astrid, but he didn’t expect her to be a total maniac. “Evil witch!” He mumbled, though his words turned out muffled, which was hard for Astrid to understand.“Why do you have to kick me so hard?”Astrid looked at him blankly. “I don’t know what you’re saying, but if you’re wondering why I did that, then I have two reasons.” She pulled a chair and sat next to his bed and smiled. “First, because you’re annoying. S
Sierra handed the boxes with dresses she made for her clients. Although the men looked scary, she couldn’t just let them stand outside. With the help of her landlady, who was amused by her reaction, Sierra entertained the clients one by one.“Thank you for your order. I hope your wife will like it,” she said as she handed the box. Sierra turned around to find more boxes were still waiting to be claimed.“Thanks, Miss. We’re very sorry for scaring you earlier.”Sierra smiled slightly with a red face. She didn’t want to hear it again in embarrassment. “Haha! That was really unexpected. Thanks for your understanding.” Sierra nodded at the man and watched him exit the door. A few moments later, another man came in.“Please have a seat. May I know under what name your order is?” Sierra checked the list while waiting for the man to reply.“It’s for Celia—”A loud thud interrupted the man’s response. Sierra frowned as she turned to see what had happened. Her eyes softened when she saw Caleb.
Sierra threw her arms overhead and stretched as she yawned. She checked the time on the clock. Her eyes glistened with joy. “I’m finally done!”It took her longer than she expected to finish the orders she received. She was not only excited to get paid for them but also to have a few days’ breaks and be with the children.‘It’s only 1 in the afternoon. I should inform the clients about their orders. They said they’d come to pick them up so…’ Sierra left her seat and went to the kitchen for a glass of water.“Ah! That was nice,” she mumbled before washing the glass and letting it dry.Sierra went back to the living room to get her phone. She grabbed the small notebook on the side where she wrote down the client’s contact number. She started calling them one after another, informing them they could pick up their order anytime now.“Thank you! Please drop by at the address given anytime to pick up your dress. Have a nice day,” Sierra said to the last client she called. When the call ende
The weather outside was so nice enough to make Astrid feel bad for not being allowed to leave. She sighed as she leaned her chin on her palm placed by the window. She had been thinking of a way to get out and her only option was to ask Caleb for help. After all, Caleb was the only one in the family who had the guts to go against her parents.However, Astrid was worried Sierra was still not in the mood to hang out. When she was watching over the kids for her the other day, she noticed the unfinished dresses in the corner where Sierra worked. Coming to visit her again might not be the best option she could do to help her. On the other hand, she could volunteer to watch over the kids while Sierra was working, although this option may not be available, given that Caleb recently became Sierra’s neighbor.“Hah! How obsessed. He could have to bring her in his place instead,” Astrid mumbled to herself, referring to Caleb’s unexpected actions and decisions when it comes to Sierra. “To think I’
Caleb opened the door to Sierra’s apartment. It’s been a few minutes, but Sierra has said nothing ever since he fetched her from the hospital along with the kids.Caleb was in a meeting with his subordinates when he received a call from Austin. The latter informed him about a man visiting Sierra. Austin said it was not Mason Bennett, so Caleb became more worried. After all, he knew he wasn’t the only one who was fascinated by Sierra’s face, especially when there used to be three of them with the same. Without further ado, he ended the meeting and went back to the apartment, only for Sierra to ask him to watch the kids while she ran outside in the rain with an umbrella.After what happened the night Mason came to Sierra’s place unannounced, Caleb ordered Austin to keep watch 24/7. Thanks to that, he could make sure Sierra and the kids were safe if he wasn’t around. After all, Austin was one of his most reliable men. “Austin, what happened?” Caleb asked as soon as the other answered th
Oliver stopped on his track. He stared blankly at the road while waiting for the green light before crossing the street. He just came back from Sierra’s apartment. After investigating, he found out what happened to Sherly. He couldn’t believe it, so he rushed to Sierra’s place. His world crumbled when the latter confirmed the news.Clenching his fists, Oliver shut his eyes as he tilted his head up. He was trying to calm himself down when droplets of water hit his face. It started slow and eventually; the rain poured hard. Oliver didn’t mind the rain. In fact, he needed it to bind himself to reality. The news about Sherly’s death was something he didn’t expect. All this time, he thought she was just living fine somewhere. Knowing that she was already gone and would never come back, Oliver found it hard to believe.“Why?” He mumbled. Warm liquid coming from his eyes streamed down his face. Oliver felt his heart clench as he desperately remembered the last conversation he had with Sherl