جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 40

AT THE LANCASTER Paris Hotel, Vera and Vince were practically bouncing with excitement. They had just arrived with their grandfather, Ronaldo Lancaster. Vera, in particular, was eager to see her mother. She clutched a small piece of paper in her hand, decorated with gold stars from dance school.“Grandpa, I really want to show Mom my stars! Like right now!” Vera exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with pride.Ronaldo, who always had a soft spot for his grandchildren, smiled warmly. “Of course, sweetheart. Let's go find your mom,” he said to his grandchild while holding each one of their hands. Without hesitation, Ronaldo decided to take them to where Vivienne was. After all, he owned the hotel, and nothing was off-limits to him or his beloved grandchildren.As they made their way through the grand lobby, Vera couldn't contain her excitement any longer. “Let’s play, Vince! Whoever finds Mom first, gets to decide what to eat for dinner!” she called out, darting off down the corridor. “I s

VIVIENNE"I had no idea you are the mom Vera has been talking about." Ezekiel looked at me, his eyes softening. I had no idea you’d been talking to her either. I felt the urge to say that but I stopped myself. My cheeks warmed, and I didn't know how to respond to that. I turned to Vera instead."Sweetie, where’s your brother? Do you know where he is?" I asked. Vera looked up at me, a bit worried. "I don't know where Vince is, Mom. We played a game, and whoever found you first would win,” she said. "Alright, we need to find Vince."This would be a perfect opportunity to leave Ezekiel too. So finally, I turned to Ezekiel to say goodbye. “Uh… we’ll go find my son for a moment.”But then, as the dumb person that he was, he didn’t take the hint. Instead, he even offered, "I'll help you look for him."I shook my head immediately. "It's okay, Ezekiel. We can manage,” I said while silently praying for him to give up. But he insisted, his voice firm. "No, I want to help. Let's find

VIVIENNEWhen we got home, the kids settled into the living room while I tried to process everything that happened.The whole party scene made the news, which must have been so embarrassing for Alex. Somehow, it was also embarrassing for me but I didn’t let it get on my nerves. I shouldn’t give a fuck. Yeah. I shouldn’t even after Ezekiel saw what I did to his girlfriend. Even after the other designers were watching. I sat on the couch, and Vera climbed up beside me, looking at me with wide, curious eyes.Vince was already in his room. As much as I wanted to check on him, he wanted to be alone. And my heart couldn’t help but ache as I imagined the trauma that Alex gave him. That bitch still infuriated me whenever I thought of her! "Mom, why did you slap Alex?" Vera asked innocently. Somehow, bitterness crept within me. I didn’t care who saw me snapped earlier but my kids? I knew I shouldn’t have shown them that side of mine. I sighed, trying to find the right words. "Sweetie, I d

VINCE CAREFULLY SLIPPED out of bed, trying not to make any noise. He had access to his mother's phone and he heard what the receptionist told her. Someone was waiting in the lobby of their hotel—Ezekiel Harrington, his real father. Vince couldn't help but be curious.He tiptoed to the door. As he began to sneak out, a small voice stopped him in his tracks."Vince, where are you going?" Vera's eyes, wide and questioning, looked up at him from her bed. Vince sighed, knowing there was no way to deter his sister once she got curious. "Go back to sleep, Vera. I’m just going to see something,” he said. "But I want to come too!" Vera insisted, throwing off her blanket and padding over to him. Vince shook his head, but he knew it was futile. Vera had a stubborn streak that rivaled even their mother’s. "Fine. Whatever."Vera’s eyes sparkled with excitement. They both crept out of the room and made their way to the elevator. As they reached the lobby, Vince felt his heart pounding in his

ALEX HELD A glass of hard liquor, swirling it as she sat on the plush sofa in her living room. She had been drinking steadily since her party had gone downhill, a night that was supposed to be her grand success turned into an absolute disaster. Her phone lay face down on the coffee table, buzzing intermittently with messages and notifications. Each buzz kept on reminding her of the embarrassment she wanted to escape.The news had been brutal, featuring her and Vivienne in a way that clearly painted Alex as the villain. Vivienne, the now glamorous and successful mystery designer, and Alex, the bitch who “abused” the famous designer’s son. Alex couldn't bear to look at her phone and see the comments and messages, so she opted to drown her sorrows instead.As Alex sat alone, nursing her drink, her mind fumed with thoughts about Vivienne. Everything about her infuriated Alex. The fact that Ezekiel had married her first was bad enough, but now, Vivienne had returned to make her life even