บททั้งหมดของ His uncle's sweetheart : บทที่ 61 - บทที่ 70

Ethan was wearing a trench on his office floor. Eyes that had scan­ned cease­less­ly around the room again came to rest on the map of the city across his desk, cir­cled in red at every place he'd gone, every dead end.Where in the name of all that's holy are you, Bernice?" he growled aloud, hunching over the desk as though his will could wring from the map its secret. "How can you just disappear?His new secretary, Ben, was fidgeting beside the door, unable to bear his boss's obsession to trace this vanishing woman off the face of the earth. "Boss, you're running crazy," he dared to say. "You have been on it now for weeks; perhaps it is time to let go.”Let her go?" Ethan repeated, his voice low and the flash in his eyes belying it. "She is not some loose end to be tied up and then forgotten about. She is a threat. She can come back and ruin everything I built. She has already turned Rafael against me once. I won't give her another chance.”Ben swallowed hard before continuing a great

Bernice stared into her empty storefront, her small fashion studio. In the eye of her mind, one hurricane raged, in unending memories, frenetic nights that didn't let her sleep, endless work, and one balancing race to bring up her twins Luca and Mia all on her own. "Belle Designs" had been a dream, but one at which she had fought to keep breathing.She felt the tiniest patter of tiny feet behind her and turned to see Luca toddle toward her, clutching a now-crumpled sketch she had been working on. He was barely two but had already received a knack for finding trouble. Bernice smiled and scooped him up in her arms, planting a kiss on his chubby cheek. "You're going to be my little artist, huh?"Not wanting to be left out, Mia jabbered from the playpen, "Mama!" Little hands waved in the air, and Bernice's heart went mushy. Those two were her joys in life, the reason she struggled so hard every single day.Her ringing phone yanked her back to reality. She peered at the caller ID; it was

"Mama, hurry!" Luca pulled at Bernice's hand, bubbling with excitement as they entered the daycare. "I wanna show you my painting!""Coming, baby," Bernice replied, chuckling as she looked down at her son with his exuberant face, while Mia was a little more subdued but shining nonetheless with anticipation as she clung onto her other hand.Today had been family day at the daycare, and all the parents had been invited down to see what the kids had been up to. She had looked forward to it, even as the weight of her meeting with Alexander Cole sat right in the back of her mind."Mummy, can I have two cookies?" Mia asked hopefully, her eyes wide.“We shall see,” said Bernice, smiling at the ingenuous request of her daughter. Let's go see your paintings first.Colorful pictures covered every wall as Bernice entered the main room. Kids and parents were laughing and chatting loudly, creating a lively atmosphere. Delicious smells of freshly baked treats filled the air."There it is!" Luca let

The boardroom was thick with anticipation as Bernice adjusted her blouse collar, checking her watch for what felt like the hundredth time. It was finally here; the day she would make her announcement concerning her business venture with Alexander Cole. “Are you ready for this?” Clara asked the assistant and confident who had been double-checking camera equipment for what must have felt like the hundredth time."I think so," Bernice replied, catching her breath. "I have never done anything like this before."Clara smiled reassuringly. "You got this. You are the boss after all. You do set your boundaries and stick to them."Bernice nodded, her breath catching. "Right. No personal entanglements. Just business.”The door opened and Alexander strolled in, just oozing confidence. "Bernice! You look great," he said with a very warm smile."Oh, thanks, you too," she said with the color of her cheeks instantly one shade of pink.But the closer he was to her, the bolt running inside her seemed

"I have never been so perplexed in my whole life, Clara," Bernice said to her pacing the living room, running a hand through her hair. "He just laid it all out there, and now I do not know what to do."She leaned into the couch for support, cradling her coffee in the palm of her hand as she gave a sympathetic smile to her friend. "You are overthinking this, Bernice; he likes you, he likes your kids, and from what you've been telling me, he's been nothing but respectful and patient.""That's just it," returned Bernice whirling in front of the window, standing with her head out, staring outside riding on a storm of thoughts. "He is everything I can want from a man. But what if this is just too good to be true? What if this is setting me up for the second heartbreak?”She cracked, her eyebrow now wove higher. "You're setting yourself up for something good. You have gone through hell Bernice, but not every man is going to hurt you. Alexander seems like the real deal. Maybe it's time you t