Grace was settled in comfortably in one of the apartments in the East Wing of the Dupont estate along with Emile. Danos was very efficient; everything that Grace needed was set in the room even before they landed in Paris. Setting into Paris time wasn’t hard as they reached back by late afternoon, and everyone slept through the night and woke up naturally the next day. Emile and Raphael spent the morning finalizing the last few designs before organizing the meeting with Laura, the le couturier, by the end of next week. If everything went according to plan, once the meeting was over, Emile could go back to be with Chris. The next steps didn’t need her to be here. She could liaise with Laura remotely. Her physical presence was only required during the fashion exhibition week. Emile worked as though she was injected with fresh blood. She didn’t feel tired, nor did she feel like she needed a break. Emile felt as though she had met her muse; ideas flowed without any inhibition, all she n

Chris had no idea when he fell asleep amidst his messy thoughts. But regardless of when he slept, waking up along with the first rays of sun had been a habit that was hard to shake off. Although he had woken up long ago, he didn’t feel like leaving the comfort of snuggling with his beloved wife. Emile woke up with a happy smile “Good morning, Hubby.” “Good morning, Love” Chris gave her a quick peck on her lips as he helped her up. “Are these tiny tots behaving?” Chris leaned forward and put his head next to her tummy. “Um” Emile smiled blissfully looking at the man whose whole world revolved around her. Whether it was agreeing with her saying they were well-behaved or whether it was in disdain towards their father’s question, the tiny tots kicked happily. Raphael was waiting for them when they came downstairs for breakfast. Grace knew that Emile wanted to give Chris a surprise and after hearing from Anne that Chris had come over at night, she didn’t come down for breakfast; Instea

The weekend passed with the excitement of finding Grace and sweetness of husband-and-wife meeting after being separated for 2 weeks. What Raphael was worried about didn’t come to fruition and finally it was time for Chris to head back. Originally Chris and Emile had planned to fly to Burke residence first and then fly back to Walter home but since they found Grace, they decided to fly straight back. Plans change…. just like life, People who are flexible don’t have to be worried about being prepared because they are conditioned to be prepared. Chris and Emile discussed with Raphael the next steps and what was required once Emile completed the last design. Despite Emile’s strong objections, they decided that Chris would come over next week to take them home. “Son, I am sorry.” Raphael finally opened his mouth after the ladies went upstairs. Grace went upstairs as she called it a day and Emile went upstairs to pack Chris’s stuff as he had to leave in another hour. “Huh?” Chris looked

“How’s I12 progressing Eva?” Chris asked once everyone left the room. “Beautifully...” Darcy chuckled “I can’t wait to see the bitch’s face when everything unveils.” Darcy: “What’s your plan? How long are you going to keep this on for?” “Not yet…. The higher you fly, the greater the fall.” Chris narrowed his eyes, his lips curled sinisterly “Doesn’t she like to have kids??? Won’t it be disappointing if we don’t give her that opportunity?” “More importantly, I need to have all the evidence… an iron clad case against fraud and identity theft.” Chris tapped his fingers rhythmically on the armrest. “Don’t we have Thomas?” Darcy asked in confusion “Thomas said that he is confident to win the case with his eyes closed with what we have so far…” “No” Chris shook his head “Not eldest brother-in-law. We will be winning the case with a junior intern from eldest brother-in-law’s firm. It will be a case won not by brilliance of the lawyer…. but by the sheer volume of indisputable evidence.”

Chris drove all the way to his home base without stopping; Both Emile and Grace were comfortable in the caravan and slept comfortably on the bed while Chris rested on the sofa. Once they reached their home base, Chris didn’t disturb either Emile or Grace and rested along with them in the caravan while he let both Night Rider and the rest head upstairs for a power nap before driving out to the airport. It wouldn’t have made a difference to their plan to give Darcy a surprise birthday gift even if Emile and Grace went upstairs to rest since Darcy was away with Marcus on his long-awaited ski trip…. well not really long … but to a father who missed 20 years of his son’s life, even a second is a long time… Even so, Chris didn’t wake them and cramped on the sofa. The reason was not hard to guess…. He didn’t want to interrupt his beloved wife’s sweet sleep. Grace was just basking in the shade of Emile’s pampered treatment. Chris waited for the two to wake up naturally; Of course, Grace wok