34.


    "Hart," Valerie answered while the girls were hesitating to say the name.


    Shocked at the mention of his friend family''s name, Justin parted his lips but after a while he smiled to pacify his wife. She was watching him with expectation hoping he would say something nice and not kill the mood. "I will invite them for dinner soon."


    "Jace came to celebrate Anna''s birthday," Valerie reminded seeing no need for that.


    "I am sure you have not seen the well-known Liam. I will have all of theme for dinner."


    "Dad, I . .. ." Rose began feeling ufortable with the thought of Jace''s brother visiting. "I don''t think there is any need to bother them," Rose had toe up with a reason why it was not necessary.


    "Damon is my best friend and think it is most appropriate theye to visit us after all these while," Justin justified the reason why he was bent on bringing his friend''s family over for dinner.


    If one of his daughters could be a member of the Hart family, it will be a very great breakthrough for his family and perhaps he might get fully epted as a member of therge prominent Whitfred family. He silently apologized to his friend for having such thoughts towards his sons.


    ***


    "I wonder why you would suddenly ask me out for a drink. It has been a while," Damon told his friend as he sat down to drink from the cup of drink his friend pushed towards him.


    "Dinner. I want to invite you for dinner at my ce," Justin did not hesitate to put out his request as he sipped from the brown liquid in his ss.


    "Why do you think I will want to have dinner at your ce?" Damon asked with a mysterious look on his face as he stared at his friend and could easily see that his friend was nning something.


    "You rmended the orphanage I adopted my two daughters from and I got the best daughters anyone would want. I want you toe with your family to meet them. You have met Anna but I am sure you have not met Rose. She looks like thete queen," Justin narrated hoping his narration was a good enough bait to bring his friend to his house with.


    "You want me toe with my family, right?" Damon asked now understanding why his friend wanted him toe over to his house.


    "Yes. Your son is my daughter''s ssmate and he came over for Anna''s birthday. I heard they are friends."


    "I also heard that from my son. It will be easy to bring Jace with me but I am not sure Liam will be willing toe," Damon exined to his friend as he watched his friend closely with his dark mysterious eyes.


    "Why?" Justin had to ask because he seriously wanted Liam toe over. His adopted daughter Rose was growing up to be a very beautiful girl and if she could trap the young Hart, it would be to his advantage. His family did not like the Hart family because of the issue between thete queen and his friend.


    Having his friend''s son fall for his daughter in the manner he yed over and over on his mind will put his family in semi-control over the Hart family which will please his uncle. The jealousy they felt towards the Hart family will turn to pride and it will be because of him.


    "Justin, aren''t you tired of trying hard to please the family that does not give a damn about you? They will never acknowledge you regardless of how hard you try," Damon had to state the bitter truth as he stared at his friend with pity. "Even if you sell my family over to them, they will never acknowledge your effort because those girls are not your biological children."


    Justin dropped his head avoiding his friend''s gaze which now held a very cold and distant look. This was not his first attempt in handing his friend over to his family and he always got caught affecting their close friendship. He lost his friend''s trust over and over that it could never be regained and he keeps losing the little closeness between them with his every attempt.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I know you are sorry but I want you to stop this already. The next time I suspect a scheme behind your words, I might just end our friendship," Damon warned him but he did not mean it. Till Rose was willing toe out to the world, he still needed this friend of his. Justin was his friend and he benefitted well from their friendship. Anna and Rose were important to him making his friend equally important.


    "No dinner, right?" Jace asked looking at his friend without lifting up his head as he felt guilt make him shiver because he knew very well what his friend was capable of doing to anyone who betrays him. "Please tell me when my cup of mercy overflows so I could prepare for my death."


    "I will never kill my friend if it is avoidable. I will only advice you to stop trying to get my family under your family because our hatred runs for generations. It also continued with me. My family left A country because we could not stand your family."


    "We have been friends for too long and I know you more than you know yourself. The moment you married Valerie, you killed the little rtionship between you and your family and there is no going back. I cannot make things better between you and your family. They never even cared about your father so why should they care about you?," Damon continued.


    While Justin drank alcohol, he listened to his friend''s advice and sighed. He was bullied and disregarded because his father was adopted. His father bowed to them almost worshipped them just to get recognized but they made fun of his father even in front of him. His mother could not take it any longer when his father began doing their family''s dirty jobs so she abandoned him and his father.


    Now he was doing the same. Damon''s words made him wonder if Valerie will leave the moment she finds out how much he was willing to do for his family. A family she despised after her cousin was tagged with a very bad title that had being written in the history of their kingdom and will be carried on for generations.


    The future generations will know thete queen with that same title and she was responsible for the down fall of her country causing great economic crises among both the rich and the poor. She will definitely leave if she does not attempt to kill him to avenge against his family before he goes away.


    "You won''te for dinner, right?" he asked unwilling to disappoint his wife and daughters that believed he would be able to bring the most powerful family to their home for dinner.


    "I wille with Jace. I am not sure Liam will want toe. He tends to hate associating with strangers and I can''t force him toe."


    Justin nodded. He still had an ounce of hope that even Jace could be the mode with which he could infiltrate the Hart family through his daughter Anna. "Thank you. Will Saturday be okay?" Justin asked fully aware that his friend knew he was still having little thoughts of betraying him but he knew he was still important to his friend although he could not figure out why.


    He had long concluded that it was because Damon had no other friend except him. The king was too busy with his work and the animosity between them made them drift apart. So, he was the only friend of the head of the Hart family and with that his friend will keep valuing their friendship in spite of anything he does.


    Damon could not hold back the smirk from his lips as he watched his very na?ve friend. He was a business man and all the rtionships he had kept in his life were those with really great benefits for him.


    His friend was an important tool in paving the way for the rightful queen to take her ce. He lifted his refilled ss for a toast to his friend and gulped down the liquid. ''Doris, soon, very soon I will make your daughter get back what belongs to her.''


    ***


    "My father said we would be having dinner at your ce on Saturday," Jace sat down with his friends to eat lunch with his friend as he narrated.


    "Wow. How does it feel to be the best friend of the head of the Hart family?" Wayne asked with a dreamy expression.


    "I can ask my brother''s friend but I am not sure when I will get to see his friend,"Jace answered. "You could also ask Mr. Whitfred."


    "How does feel to be the friend of the Head of the Hart family?" Wayne asked now looking at Anna.


    "Ask my father not me but I think it will feel like threading on broken bottle," Rose replied thoughtfully.